Gregoire, Steele win battle of junior players

Richard Steele serves to Seung Jin Paik in their game in the boys U14 singles event of the 9th Annual TanHoldings Tennis Classic during the opening week of the tournament at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan court. Steele teamed up with Maria Gregoire in the final week and they won the mixed 4.0 doubles title. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Junior players Maria Gregoire and Richard Steele bested five other pairs to take the mixed doubles 4.0 division title in the 9th Annual TanHoldings Tennis Classic last Sunday at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan court.

Gregoire and Steele clinched the division crown following a 7-6, 6-3 victory over fellow junior players Hye Jin Elliot and Anthony Gregoire in the finals. Maria and Steel were the No. 1 seed players in the group and drew a bye in the opening round for an outright semis berth. In the Final four, the eventual champions registered a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Ami Miyawaki and Randy Steele, who made it to the semis after a walkover win against Samantha and Simon Sergio.

While Richard and Maria needed only two sets to march into the finale, it took Elliot and Anthony three sets to stun No. seed Grace Choi and A.J. Hudkins, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8, and move into the championship game. Elliot and Anthony earlier swept Japan’s Chiharu and Kosuke Sato, 6-1, 6-4 to set up a semis date opposite Choi and Hudkins, who got an outright semis berth after a bye in the opening round.

In other results, No. 2 seed Martin Jambor and Leith Poole pulled off an upset over No. 1 and father-and-son duo Eric and Joshua Abragan in the men’s doubles 4.0 finals, 6-3, 7-5. Jambor and Poole entered the finals after a 4-2, 4-1 win over Christopher Aninzo and Clayton Izuka, while the Abragans defeated Andy Cho and Alex Park in the other semis pairing, 4-1, 4-0.

Eric Abragan also played in the men’s 4.0 singles and this timed triumphed in the round-robin competition. He took the division crown after downing Edwin Simbulan, 6-3, 7-5, and Gani Cortez, 7-5, 7-5. Cortez settled for the runner-up honors following his 7-5, 6-4 victory against Simbulan.

Mayling Colombo and Vickie Izuka were unbeaten, too in the round-robin contest in the women’s 3.0 doubles to join the champions circle in the annual tournament. Colombo and Izuka won over Ami Miyawaki and Chiharu Sato, 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, and Lina Villagomez and Maro Villanueva, 6-3, 6-1. Miyawaki and Sato placed second following a 6-2, 6-2 win against Villagomez and Villanueva.

In the men’s 3.0 singles, Ambet Omampo was the champion as he topped Arnel Pascua, 6-3, 6-4.

In the men’s 4.0 singles, Ken Imaya prevailed against two other players. He downed Randy Steele last Saturday, 6-0, 6-0, and had a similar shutout win over Simbulan last Sunday to clinch the division crown.

Imaya also played in the men’s doubles 4.0 doubles, but he and Jeff Bristol lost to No. 1 seed Don Castillo and Ronnie Lacbayo in the finals, 6-4, 6-4. Castillo and Lacbayo marched into the title game following a 6-3, 4-6, 10-7 semis victory against Ronnie Decena and Bong Gamamb, while Imaya and Bristol swept No. 2 Roy Banados and Noel Biglete in the other Final Four pairing, 6-3, 7-6 (4).