3 pull off upset victories

Girls U14 singles champion Helen Kim is flanked by runner-up Hyejin Elliot, left, and Serin Chung during the awards ceremony for the 2019 White Coconut Tennis Classic last Monday at the American Memorial Park courts. (Contributed Photo)

Helen Kim, Daniel Kang, and Hoo Wang stunned their higher-ranked opponents to win the championships in their respective singles events in the 2019 White Coconut Tennis Classic last Monday at the American Memorial Park courts.

Wang recorded the biggest upset in the tournament, as she was unseeded in the girls U12 singles and slipped past fellow unranked player Dain Lee in the finals after three sets. Wang, who earlier eliminated No. 1 seed Savita Sikkel, 6-3, 6-2, dropped the opening set of her title showdown against Lee, 5-7, but still came out on top of the six-player field after sweeping the last two, 6-2, 10-7.

Joining Wang and Lee in the podium was Irin Chung, who took the third place honors following a similar three-set victory over Sikkel in the consolation game, 4-6, 6-0, 10-8.

In the girls U14 singles, which had a round-robin format, the No. 3 Kim grabbed the division title from Top 2 favorites Hyejin Elliot and Serin Chung. Kim secured the championship after demolishing Yebin Shin, 6-0, 6-0, and earning a perfect 4-0 record in the competition. Earlier over the weekend, Kim first rallied past the No. 1 seed Elliot, 0-6, 6-2, 10-7, and then outclassed No. 2 Chung, 6-2, 7-5, for a 3-0 record and to zero in on the division title. Kim’s other victory was against Ye Gin Son in the opening week of the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association-sanctioned tournament.

Elliot, after a tough loss to Kim, swept her last three games, including the one against Chung, 6-4, 6-4, to settle for the runner-up honors. Elliot’s two other wins were versus Shin, 6-0, 6-0, and Son, 6-3, 6-2. Chung, with her even 2-2 mark rounded out the Top 3 in the division.

In the boys U16 singles finale, the No. 2 seed Kang went the distance against No. 1 Sam Ryu to win the championship.

Kang lost the closely fought first set, 5-7, and had another neck-and-neck battle with Ryu in the second, but this time the former came out victorious, 7-5, to force a deciding super-tiebreaker third set. Kang then rode on the momentum of his second set triumph to complete the upset against his favored foe, 10-7. No. 4 seed Andy Kim finished third behind Kang and Ryu after downing Maria Gregoire in the consolation match, 6-4, 6-0.

Meanwhile, No. 1 seeds Roby Schorr and David Kwon did not disappoint after ruling the men’s and boys U14 singles events, respectively.

Schoor won the battle of the Top 2 seeds in the men’s singles finale after outclassing Jimin Woo, 6-3, 7-6.

Kwon, on the other hand, was undefeated in four games to top the round-robin boys U14 singles competition. He capped his perfect run in the event with a masterful 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Andrew Chung. Though Kwon’s win over Chung gave him the clean slate, it was the former’s three-set triumph over fiercest rival, Anthony Gregoire, that proved to be pivotal in the title conquest. Gregoire eked out a 7-6 victory in the first set of their crucial match last Saturday, but missed the deciding win when Kwon stood out in the last two, 7-5, 10-6.