Revenge of the seeded teams

After upsets marked the first two days of the 2nd Annual Taga Tennis Tournament, order was finally restored when top seeds showed their teeth Friday night at American Memorial Park tennis courts.

In the men’s open division, the dark horse team of Daniel Son and Lito Cabrera was tested by greenhorns Bong Gamab and Nanding Cajigan before prevailing 6-3, 6-4.

Top seeds Jorge Olanda and Edwin Maratas, meanwhile, had to tough it out in another three-set match against Richard Asuncion and Babu Malayil. Olanda and Maratas dropped the first set before coming on strong in the second to force a third. And in the rubber set, Olanda and Maratas overcame Asuncion and Malayil in a tiebreak to win 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

Third seeds Ronnie Lacbayo and Mel Pila also advanced following their 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Hector Benitez and Buddy Garote. Earlier the second seeded team of John Wayne Kentaro and Beltau Toshi won by default. Fourth seeds Renato “Dodong” Espanola and Dr. Alberto “Bert” Ventura, however, were not able to escape the upset axe, falling to the dangerous duo of Hector Gutierrez and Buboy Sergio 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-0.

Players from Tinian came in on opposite ends of the win-loss column in the men’s 3.0. The pair of Joe San Nicolas and Archie Montecillo emerged victorious after their 6-0, 6-2 shellacking of “local boys” John Jenkins and Bobby Nato. The father-and-son tandem of Sonny and Benjie Decena were not as fortunate though, as they lost to Masahiro Tanaka and Mario Buensuceso 2-6, 3-6.

The third 3.0 match that evening had Lemuel Arabelo, who works on Saipan in the week days but spends weekends with his family in Tinian, and his partner Doy Ligan, another player from Tinian, carved out a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Manny Jaraplasan and Roy Banados.

Tinian players would like to thank the Tinian Mayor’s Office for shouldering their ferryboat rides to and from Saipan during their matches.

In the women’s open, Cleofe Santos and Joy Minor and Letty Jones and Delia Johnson are on to the next round after beating separate opponents. Santos and Minor overwhelmed Sally Wong and Ligaya Paculanang 6-2, 6-2, while Jones and Johnson waylaid the May-September team-up of Nelia Luna and Audrey Motto 6-2, 6-2.

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.