Heo leads the way in DFS tennis

Three days of intense action at the Pacific Islands Club resulted in champions being crowned as the first weekend of the 25th Annual DFS Micronesian Tennis Championships came to a close yesterday.

Leading the cast of champions is 14-year-old Ji Hoon Heo, who fought back from a disappointing start to beat fellow standout Ralph Buenaventura to win the boys’ 18-and-under singles title.

It was a battle of the top two players in the local 18-and-under scene. Buenaventura was able to dominate the opening set as he placed his shots well and powered his way to a 6-1 win.

Heo retaliated with a fury in the second set as he began to get into a rhythm and was able to make quick work of his opponent for a 6-0 win.

The two exchanged several long rallies in the final set, with neither willing to give in, however, it was Heo who was able to come out on top, taking the title with a 6-2 clincher.

According to Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association vice president and CNMI National Tennis Team coach Jeff Race, the win secures Heo as the No. 4 singles players for the squad in the upcoming 6th Micronesian Games.

In the boys’ 13-and-under singles, James Camacho gave his supporters a lot to be happy about as he also came back from an early deficit to win the title. Camacho lost a tough first set to Tinian’s Benjie Decena, 5-7, but returned with a 6-2 win in the second set to stay alive. Camacho then had enough juice to defeat Decena in the third set, 6-3.

Lucas Nutting also had a share of the spotlight as he was crowned champion of the boys’ nine-and-under singles after edging Colin Ramsey, 6-3.

Meanwhile, Mikayla Lopez topped the round-robin girls’ nine-and-under division winning all three of her bouts. She defeated Danica Baron and Sabrina Bilston-John via 6-0 scores, and edged Gabrielle Race, 6-4. Race finished in second place with wins over Bilston-John, 6-2, and Baron, 6-0.

In doubles action, Buenaventura and Jeff Race joined forces to win the round-robin men’s open competition. The two beat Heo and Nicolas Son 6-0, 6-7, 6-2 and Steve Nutting and Erick Van der Maas. Heo and Son took second place after scoring a 6-0, 6-0 win over Nutting and Van der Maas.

Reo Arriola and nanding Cajigan also had what it took to reign supreme as the two stopped Didith Julve and Jorge Olanda in the finals of the men’s 4.0. Arriola and Cajigan took the first set, 6-3, and were taken to the limit in the second before prevailing, 7-5.

Also claiming top honors were Karen Buettner and Dr. Gary Ramsey, who won their two matches in the round-robin mixed 3.0 competition to take home the title. The two defeated Debbie Bilston and Jerry John 6-2, 6-0, then stopped junior netters Decena and Thea Minor 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

Buettner and Mayuko Arriola also faced Vivian Lee and Lila Mailman in the women’s open doubles yesterday. Results were not available as of press time.

Meanwhile, results were not complete in the round-robin girls’ 18-and-under singles as one match remains to be played. The bout between Mayuko Arriola and Audrey Motto has been rescheduled for this coming weekend. Arriola and Mailman have won two matches, and Motto has won a match as well. Arriola will secure the title with one more win.

Also rescheduled was the finals of the girls’ 13-and-under between Minor and Jessica Soll. Minor defeated sister Theecel in the semis 6-3, 6-3 while Soll stopped Michaela Grandinetti 6-1, 6-0.

The finals of the mixed open doubles was also rescheduled. Motto and Heo made the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Peter Loyola and Cleofe Santos, They will face Jeff Race and Mayuko Arriola, who beat Son and Mailman 6-1, 6-4.

The tournament, organized by NMITA, continues this coming weekend with singles and junior doubles from May 26 to May 29.

For more information on the 25th Annual DFS Micronesian Tennis Championships, contact NMITA president and co-director Eli Buenavantura at 484-1558 or Race at 483-5652.