Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 20) – An all-Filipino final will happen for the second straight Southeast Asian Games edition in the tennis men’s doubles event.
The Treat Huey-Ruben Gonzales duo and the Francis Alcantara-Jeson Patrombon tandem prevailed in their respective semifinals matches on Friday at the Hanaka Sports and Service Center in Vietnam.
The two Filipino tennis pairings also fought for the gold medal in 2019 in Manila, where Alcantara and Patrombon topped the competition.
The defending champions beat hometown bets Quoc Khan Le and Văn Phuong Nguyen, 6-4, 6-4, to clinch a finals berth.
Huey and Gonzales also defeated the Vietnamese pair of Giang Trinh Linh and Mihn Tuan Pham, 6-4, 6-2, to arrange the all-Filipino title duel.
“We are now assured of a gold and a silver in the men’s doubles again,” men’s tennis coach Chris Cuarto said. “It’s really a big relief for the team despite all the difficulties we encountered in Manila.”
