MIK BALCE’S ITF WORLD JUNIOR RANKING RISES FROM 965 TO 846

Thanks to a winning performance in the recent International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Circuit in Vietnam, the ITF world junior ranking of Ateneo Senior High School student Manuel “Mik” Balce III of 12-Anchieta/ABM strand has risen from 965 to 846. The ITF is the world governing body of tennis, and Balce is the only Atenean on its list of top junior tennis players in the world. 

 
Here’s how Balce fared in the ITF junior circuit held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from July 17 to 20, 2017:
 
July 17, round of 32 boys singles: Mik wins against Hungthuan Ngo (Vietnam), 6-2, 6-2

July 18, round of 16 boys doubles: Mik & partner Hsiang-Yu Chuang (Taipei) win against  Hungthuan Ngo (Vietnam)  
             & Nhat Quang Nguyen (Vietnam), 6-0, 6-3

July 19
      a) round of 16 boys singles: Mik wins against Nan Hsun Lin (Taipei), 6-4, 7-6(1)
      b) quarterfinals boys doubles: Mik & Hsinag-Yu Chuang (Taipei) win against Tu Le Khanh Duy (Vietnam) & Hoang
          Minh Nguyen (Vietnam), 6-3, 6-2
 
July 20
     a) quarterfinals boys singles) Mik loses to no. 3 seed Phuong Van Nguyen  of Vietnam), 1-6, 0-6. Nguyen was
         eventually crowned boys singles champion of the ITF Junior Circuit in Vietnam.  
     b) semifinals boys doubles Mik & Hsiang-Yu Chuang (Taipei) lose to Phuong Van Nguyen
         (Vietnam) & Huynh Thinh (Vietnam, no 3 seed), 4-6, 4-6. Mik was seeded no. 7 and no. 1 in singles and doubles,
         respectively.

Because of Mik’s strong showing in Vietnam, his ITF world junior ranking will move up from 965 to 846.   

Mik has been winning tennis championships since he was in Ateneo Grade School. In 2016, he represented the Philippines as a member of the country’s Junior Davis Cup team.  Last February, Balce and the rest of the Ateneo High School boys' lawn tennis team won two titles: the Inter School Tennis Association (ISTA) title on February 18 and the PRADA lawn tennis title a week later on February 25, 2017.