Maratas nips Guzman, Olanda wins

Edwin Maratas and partner Jorge Olanda followed up their success in the doubles division by pulling off improbable wins in the second day of singles competition in the 2nd Annual Taga Tennis Tournament Wednesday night at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

Maratas was pretty much ready to just roll over and die in his men’s 4.5 encounter with veteran netter Elmer Guzman. But a remarkable thing happened to the mild-mannered tennis player in the opening set when Maratas shutout Guzman to take a one set to none lead.

Guzman did recover in the second, blasting winners aplenty against a now tiring Maratas to break even at a set apiece going into the rubber third set.

Both players were giving their all in the third set and were quite evenly matched. Maratas would go ahead 4-3 following a break of serve. But Guzman broke back to level it all again at 4-4 in the deciding set.

With what little ounce of energy left, Maratas salvaged the ninth game, breaking Guzman for the second straight time to serve for the match. He would go up 30-0 in what turned out to be the final game before Guzman stubbornly took two points off Maratas’ serve to tie it at 30-30.

Maratas then caught a weak baseline return from Guzman and drilled it for a winner to set up match point. With a chant of “ace” from a spectator on the crowd, Maratas barely got his service in.

Guzman pounced on the weak serve and made a nice forehand approach shot that had Maratas scrambling to the baseline for a hasty return. Maratas thought it was long and dropped his racquet in disgust. But to his surprise, Guzman took a swat on the ball and Maratas quickly picked up his racquet, scurried towards the net and hit an impossible winner to end the match 6-0, 2-6, 6-4.

Olanda, for his part, slew the ghost of matches past against Tony Santos in their men’s 4.0 battle. Santos had won four straight matches against Olanda in the last three years but this time Olanda was ready to reverse the trend.

He took the opening set in a tiebreak but surrendered another tightly fought set to Santos in the second. Olanda became more aggressive in the third and put and end to years of futility against his opponent by winning in a score of 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-3.

Other matches Wednesday evening had Richard Asuncion trip Hector Gutierrez in the men’s 4.5, Mike Roberts soundly beat Jaime Hagos in men’s 4.0, Cris Nelson top Hector Benitez in the same division, Father Ryan Jimenez get the better of Mel Pila also in the same category, Doi Ligan turn back Ruben Leynes in men’s 3.0, and Boy Cruz and Isagani Cortes win their opening round assignments in men’s 2.0.

Asuncion took out Gutierrez in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, while Roberts and Nelson used their power and long wingspan to dominate their shorter opponents. Roberts ousted Hagos in a score of 6-3, 6-1, while Nelson advanced with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Benitez.

Jimenez swung like no tomorrow and defeated Pila 6-2, 6-3. Ligan drubbed Leynes 6-3, 6-1. Cruz outplayed Das Narayanan 6-3, 6-2 and Cortes stopped Orly De Leon 6-0, 6-2.

Pacific Trading Co. and Miller Lite are the main sponsors of the 2nd Annual Taga Tennis Tournament with USS Peleliu Club and Yuichiro’s Printing Design as minor sponsors.

For more information about the 2nd Annual Taga Tennis Tournament, please call STA president Roy Pangelinan at 256-7769, vice president-internal Nelia Luna at 288-5151 or 287-0859, vice president-external Ricky Castro at 234-7426, and officers Richard Asuncion at 287-0856, Babu Malayil at 286-9745, and Lope Padilla at 286-9733. Inquiries can also be coursed via email at saipan_tennis@yahoo.com.