Previous Story
Mother-son pair tops mixed open
|
Posted on Jan 21 2022
David Kwon and his mother, Jessie Kim, pose for a photo at the American Memorial Park tennis courts a few days after winning the mixed doubles 5.0 of the 2022 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
The mother-and-son pair of Jessie Kim and David Kwon made it a family affair by winning the mixed doubles 5.0 of the 2022 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament last Sunday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.
Kim and Kwon, the No. 2 seeds, edged the unseeded pair of Sam Ryu and Rachel Shin, 7-6, 7-6, in the finals to win the premier division of the mixed doubles division.
Mother and son advanced to the finals after subduing Julia Ishikawa and Kuu Nishimura via walker and got a bye in the first round.
“It was very special for me playing that match with my mom,” said Kwon.
He said his mother also shared the same sentiment and is proud of what they were able to achieve in the tourney.
“My mom said it was a special experience for her and it’s something that she may not experience again.”
Ryu and Shin had the division’s biggest upset when they shocked No. 1 seed Serin Chung and Matthew Berline in the semifinals, 4-2, 4-2. Before that they were involved in a protracted 5-3, 3-5, 10-3 win over Hye Jin Elliot and Steven Hong.
In the U18 mixed doubles, Elliot won her second championship of the tournament after teaming up with Cody Shimizu. The No. 1 seeds beat Serin Chung and Simon Tang in the finals, 8-6.
“I’m happy that we won. Cody’s a good teammate and we have a good dynamic and teamwork going on,” said Elliot, who also won the women’s open after also turning back good friend Chung in the finals.
Shimizu thanked Elliot for bringing the best out of him in the finals.
“Winning the U18 mixed doubles with Hye Jin was a great experience especially since we only had one match and we had to win it. Playing with Hye Jin was really fun and competitive she’s a great doubles partner and very coordinated in the court,” he said.
The 2022 SIS Student Council Tennis was held as a fundraiser for Saipan International School’s Student Council and is sanctioned by the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association.
The sponsors of the event are the following: Mango Six Café, Sura Restaurant, Café 670, All Star Sporting Goods and Boarderline, Joeten Superstore, Plumeria Steakhouse, Java Joe’s, Hyatt Regency Saipan, and Summer Snow Café.
