Battle for DFS supremacy begins tomorrow

Forty-four junior netters will vie for supremacy in their respective singles divisions when the 24th Annual DFS Micronesian Tennis Championships kicks off tomorrow at the Pacific Islands Club tennis courts.

Organized by the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association, the longest running tennis tournament on island will also feature 26 adult doubles teams in its first weekend of action.

Eyeing to add another title to their young careers, rising stars Ralph Buenaventura, 13-year-old Ji Hoon Heo, and Nicolas Son will see action in the boys’ 18-and-under singles, and each have a bye in the opening round.

The category also features up-and-coming netters Keith Gabaldon and Nate Algaier, who will play in the opening match of the division, with the winner taking on Buenaventura in the semifinals. Heo and Son make up the other semifinal bout.

The boys’ 14-and-under features a bigger cast, with 13 players already registered to see action. Getting byes are top seeds Russell Buenaventura, Calvin Yang, and Dominic Von Siebenthal, while other players include Dillon Thorpe, Henry Yang, Phillip Park, Hunter Thorpe, Jae Wan Kim, Woo Suk Chang, Nicolas Coad, Bradley Brostrom, Roger Lee, and Miguel Brostrom.

Joe Motto Jr., Angelo Jones, and Rafael Jones spearhead the cast in the 10-and-under category and will have byes in the opening round, but will have their hands full as Christopher Camacho, Quintin Ramsey, Cody Race, Andrew Johnson, Brian Mailman, Crosby Schultz, Edward Coad, Clay McCullough-Stearns, Tatsunori Gotanda, and Christian Miller also have their eyes set on the title.

Only two divisions—14-and-under and 10-and-under—will be featured in the girls’ corner, with Vivian Lee getting the only bye in the opening round of the 14-and-under category, which also features up-and-coming netters such as Audrey Motto, Lila Mailman, Jessica Soll, Camryn Mosley, Aki Gotanda, and Shane Jones.

Leading the younger age group are top seeds Thea Minor and Melody Johnson, who both have byes in the opening round. Abigale Coad, Gabrielle Race, Michaela Grandinetti, and Jin Braken will also put their skills to the test in the category.

Doubles action features only three teams in the round-robin men’s open. This means the teams of Michael and Nicolas Son, Rory Mackay and Peter Loyola, and Jeff Race and Daniel Son will battle each other at least once.

Five teams signed up for the men’s 4.0, with Elmer Guzman and Boyet Minor, Steve Nutting and Erik Van der Maas, and Father Ryan Jimenez and Perry Cacdac getting byes and free rides to the semifinals. The father-and-son duo of Eli and Russell Buenaventura will battle Michael Roberts and Toshi Beltau for the right to play Guzman and Minor.

Another father-and-son tandem sees action in the men’s 3.0 as Joe Motto Sr. and Joe Jr. join Dr. Gary Ramsey and Dr. Richard Brostrom in one-half of the semifinals with byes. John Jenkins and Steve Tilley also received a bye and await the winner between Algaier and Danial Colton’s team and Ho Suk Chang and Woo Suk Chang.

Meanwhile, the semifinals in the women’s open is already set as only four teams are registered for action. Kazumi Imai and Yuko Kobayashi take on Lila Mailman and Camryn Mosley, while Joy Minor and Mayuko Arriola battle Letty Jones and Young Son.

The stage is also set for the women’s 3.0, with Karen Ramsey and Lucita Pasana squaring off against Melanie Daly and Stephanie Jewell in one half of the semis. Ayumi Cajigan and Sadako Arriola also join forces and will take on Heidi Yelin and Matty Buenaventura.

Arriola also teams up with brother Reo in the mixed doubles open and will face Jeff Race and Amanda Weindl in the semifinals. Sally Wong and Loyola await a challenger, as Imai and Felipe Quiroz battle Joe Motto Jr. and his sister Audrey.

Also, deadline for registering for the adult singles and junior doubles is May 22. Entry cost is $15 per player in the singles and $10 per player in the doubles. The draw for the second weekend of play will be held on May 22 at 3pm at the PIC.

For more information, contact NMITA president and co-director Eli Buenaventura at 484-1558.