Espanola and Mahinay advances to finals

Renato “Dodong” Espanola and Eric Mahinay are safely into the finals of the men’s 4.0 division after hurdling so far their most challenging opponents in the ongoing 2004 Shell-Telesource Open.

Espanola and Mahinay were stretched to the limit in their semifinals game against crafty veterans Art Lopez and Nanding Cajigan Thursday night at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

It was nip-and-tuck in the opening set before Espanola and Mahinay prevailed in a tiebreak. But Lopez and Cajigan battled back, easily winning the second to force a third and deciding set. Espanola and Mahinay, however, got their second wind in the rubber match and proceeded to rout Lopez and Cajigan to win the match 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-3.

Espanola and Mahinay caught another break when tournament top seeds Jorge Olanda and Edwin Maratas got the axe, falling to the upset-conscious duo of Hector Gutierrez and Buboy Sergio 7-5, 6-3 in the other semis match-up.

Olanda and Maratas started the first and second sets on the right foot, holding 4-3 and 3-2 leads before fading in the homestretch against their younger counterparts.

In men’s 3.0 play, the tandem of Father Ryan Jimenez and Robert Michael continued to receive blessings from above after outplaying the pair of Massimo Flouti and Chris Stophe.

Jimenez and Michael drew first blood winning the first set. But Flouti and Stophe struck back in the second to tie the match at a set apiece. But in the third, Jimenez and Michael held their opponents at bay to score a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory.

Joining the immaculate duo in the next round is the pair of Romy Espeleta and Sam Apostol. Espeleta and Apostol advanced after dealing with Edgar Casing and Mario Buensuceso 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).

Matches in the men’s and women’s open were all postponed after heavy rains once again rendered the AMP tennis courts unplayable late Thursday evening.

Postponed matches include the men’s 5.0 encounter between the fire-and-ice team of Boyet Minor and Nicolas Son and the father-and-son pair of Eli and Ralph Buenaventura. Moved to a later date are the matches in the women’s open between Yuko Kobayashi/Kazumi Imai and Vivian Lee/Kanani Ashraf and Sally Wong/Sally Cacdac and Joy Minor and Young Son.

For more information about the 2004 Shell-Telesource Open, please call tournament directors Elmer Guzman at 483-2004 or Alex Martin at 322-1130.