Francisco Olivarez storms into Lu'an quarterfinals after grueling qualifying run
Francisco Olivarez has secured his place in the main draw of the Lu'an tournament after a strong run in qualifying. The Filipino player won three back-to-back matches, including a hard-fought victory over Japan’s Shu Muto. His performance sets up a quarterfinal clash against another Japanese opponent, Kosuke Ogura, later this week. Olivarez began his campaign by defeating Japan’s No. 13 seed Yua Taka in the first qualifying round, winning 7-6(5), 7-5. He followed this with a straight-sets victory over China’s Xirui Han in the second round, 6-3, 6-4.
The final qualifying match proved tougher, as Olivarez faced Japan’s No. 8 seed Shu Muto. After dropping the first set 2-6, he fought back to take the second 6-3 and sealed the win in a tense match tiebreak, 10-8. In the main tournament, Olivarez advanced to the quarterfinals when his opponent, China’s Xiaofei Wang, retired while trailing 4-0 in the Round of 16. His next challenge will be against Kosuke Ogura on Thursday. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the Palawan Open 2026, which starts on May 24 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. The event offers a total prize pool of P2 million, with the men’s singles champion set to receive P300,000 and the runner-up P150,000. Olivarez and Alberto Lim Jr. will lead the local challenge in a field headlined by India’s top seed Digvijay Singh.
Olivarez’s quarterfinal match against Ogura will test his form after a gruelling qualifying run. The Palawan Open 2026, featuring a mix of international and local talent, will also provide another opportunity for Filipino players to compete for significant prize money. Both tournaments highlight the growing presence of Southeast Asian athletes in regional tennis events.
