Woo dominates men’s division

Ji Min Woo topped the men’s single division of the 2021 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament, coasting past foes last Sunday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts. (Contributed Photo)

Ji Min Woo topped the men’s singles division of the 2021 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament, coasting past foes last Sunday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

Woo, who has represented the CNMI Junior National Team in regional tournaments in previous years, conquered his fellow national team member Sam Ryu with a 6-2, 6-1 victory in the tournament finals.

The seasoned champ coasted through the tourney, first advancing to the quarterfinals with an easy Round 1 match against Daniel Kang where he hammered the latter, 4-0, 4-0. In the quarterfinals, Woo gained access to the semis after a 4-2, 4-0 victory over Isaac Heo who beat Min Cho in the first round, 4-1, 4-2.

In the semis, Woo eased past Sean Lee with a 4-2, 4-1 victory, landing the division’s first final seat. The latter struggled to make it to the Final Four against David Kwon. He won the first set 4-1 before losing the second, 2-4. However, Lee took the win in the super tiebreaker with a close 10-7 victory. Lee also challenged Hyeon Bin Jeong in the first round, taking an easy 4-0, 4-0 victory.

Ryu conquered Patrick Vincent Aquino in the semis, outplaying him in the first set, 5-3, before losing his lead in the second, 2-4. Finally, in the super tiebreaker, Ryu, determined to win, prevailed with a 10-6 victory.

Back in the quarterfinals, Ryu earned a 5-4, 5-3 victory over Andy Kim who advanced to the quarters after besting Jun Wang, 4-0, 4-0. Ryu also swept his Round 1 match against Quintin Ramsey, 6-0, 6-0.

Meanwhile, 4.0 mixed doubles champ Aquino bagged the third-place title by walkover.

Ji Min Woo (right) topped fellow CNMI Junior National team member Sam Ryu in the finals of the 2021 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament last Sunday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts. (Contributed Photo)

In the U12 mixed doubles division, June Yu and Ian Chae clinched the title after a 4-1, 4-2 victory over Eamon Tang and Taher Shakir.

The eventual champions automatically advanced to the semifinals after getting a bye in the opening round. In the semis, Yu and Chae came out on top with a tough 4-1, 2-4, 10-7 victory over Ji Hun Park and Quido Lucas Jambor, who reached the Final Four after getting a bye.

Tang and Shakir advanced to the finals after a successful semifinal match against Stephen Yeom and Yutaka Kadokura. The former had a rough first set, 1-4, but leveled the playing field in the second, 5-4. The duo delivered the final blow with a 10-8 win in the super tie breaker set.

The second-place duo managed to advance to the finals after sweeping its quarterfinals match against Jeong Bin Park and Lina Tsukagoshi with a 5-3, 4-1 victory.

The Yeom-Kadokura duo completed the Top 3 with a 4-1, 4-0 victory over Park and Jambor.

Cody Shimizu and Hoo Wang bagged the U18 mixed doubles division title following a competitive match against Jun Wang and Maya Shimizu.

Cody and Hoo edged their foe in the first set, 4-0, but lost momentum and lost the second, 2-4. However, the champs secured their win with a 10-8 tie breaker set.

The 2021 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament was sanctioned by the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association.