Thai top seed Luksika Kumkhum outclassed Filipina netter Ana Clarice Patrimonio, 6-0, 6-1, to capture the women’s tennis singles gold medal at on the center court of the National Tennis Center located at the heart of the Malaysian capital here.
After a two-hour delay caused by rain, Kumkhum, once ranked No. 85 in the world, needed just 48 minutes in dispatching Patrimonio, who settled for the silver medal.
“Medyo ninerbiyos po ako sa dami ng tao. Pero masaya na rin dahil naka-silver,” admitted the pretty netter and daughter of former PBA star Alvin Patrimonio for her lackluster showing.
“I will try to do better in the 2019 SEA Games,” added the unseeded Patrimonio, 23, who advanced to finals after vanquishing Cambodian fourth seed Andrea Ka, 7-6 (6-5), 7-6 (6-5), in the semifinals last Friday.
It was her first individual silver medal in three SEA Games outings after sharing the women’s team silver in the 2015 Singapore SEA Games.
“You have to hand it to Clarice, she played well the whole week but the Thai was just too strong,” noted coach Cris Cuarto.
Ruben Gonzales and Francis Casey Alcantara netted the Philippine squad’s other silver medal in men’s doubles while the Filipino bets also had a pair of bronze medals in the mixed doubles through Gonzales and Denise Dy and the women’s doubles from Dy and Fil-German Katharina Lehnert.
Their output was lower compared to the one gold, three silver and three bronze medals they took home from Singapore two years ago.