Another seeded team falls in Verizon Cup

Another day, another seeded team eliminated.

That seems to be the emerging trend in the first two days of the 2nd Verizon Cup being organized by the Saipan Tennis Association at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

The latest to fall is the second-ranked men’s 4.5 doubles team of Richard Asuncion and Gerald Narcico, who was shocked 6-4, 6-2 Thursday evening by the veteran tandem of Mohammad Ashraf and Robert Coracero.

Four other men’s matches went down, two each from the men’s 4.0 and men’s 3.0 – but none of them major upsets.

In the men’s 4.0, Nap Regalado and Noel Dognidon teamed up to put an end to the run of Father Ryan Jimenez and Coracero. But it didn’t come easy as the diminutive pair had to grind it out in a second set tiebreak to win 6-2, 7-6 (10-8).

Art Lopez and Hector Benitez also advanced to the third round after topping the duo of Manny Po and Didith Julve 6-3, 6-3.

John Jenkins and giant Bobby Nato prevailed in men’s 3.0 after eliminating the father-and-son pair of Joe Motto, Sr. and Joe Mottor, Jr. in three exciting and action-packed sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Noel Manalang and tireless Babu Malayil are also off to the next round following their 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Arnold Cerdenio and Dave Gott 6-3, 6-2.

Aside from the five matches in the men’s division, STA also kicked off women’s play Thursday with the veteran twosome of Merli Hudkins and Gina Lopez and youth netters Kanani Ashraf and Audre Motto coming up with sizzling debuts.

Top seeds Hudkins and Lopez easily hurdled Maro Dela Torre and Asun Demapan 6-1, 6-3, while Ashraf and Motto drubbed Kitauka Masako and Atsuko 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles play will continue the rest of the weekend at the AMP tennis courts. Singles and mixed doubles play get underway next week starting on Aug. 4. Categories at stake are the men’s 5.0, men’s 4.0, men’s 3.0, women’s 4.0, women’s 3.0, women’s 2.0, mixed doubles 5.0, mixed doubles 4.0, and mixed doubles 3.0.

Sponsor Verizon has committed $1,000 in cash and about $2,000 worth of cellular phones, phone cards, T-shirts, caps, and other merchandize to STA for the tournament.

For more information on the 2nd Verizon Cup, please call Roy Pangelinan at 256-7769, Nelia Luna at 288-5151/287-0859, Agnes Salazar at 287-0858, Richard Asuncion at 287-0856, Babu Malayil at 286-9745, or Lope Padilla at 286-9733. Those interested can also e-mail STA at saipan_tennis@yahoo.com.