Jeff, Lydia top mixed doubles 50

From left, Jeff Race and Lydia Tan and Roy Pangelinan and Marivic Dunlop pose with Northern Marianas Sports Association executive director Carline Sablan during the 2021 TanHoldings Tennis Classic award banquet last Sunday at the American Memorial Park. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

Last weekend proved that you can organize a tournament and win it too after Jeff Race and Lydia Tan ruled the 50-and-over mixed doubles of the 2021 TanHoldings Tennis Classic at the American Memorial Park.

Race, longtime president of the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Federation, and Tan, who is the tournament director, defeated Roy Pangelinan and Marivic Dunlop in the finals, 6-2, 6-2.

Race quickly attributed the victory in the 50-and-over mixed doubles to the ever-energetic Tan.

“Good, it was a fun game. My partner played good and she’s been playing really hard in doubles. She’s training every night and we do all kinds of doubles drills. She played really good. Lydia led us to the win,” he said.

The many-time CNMI national tennis coach and CNMI Sports Hall of Fame inductee said it was great to be playing in a tournament after COVID-19 essentially wiped out adult tennis in the sports calendar.

“I think we did have a lot of junior tournaments at the beginning of the year and we haven’t had an adult tournament for quite a while. So I think there’s a lot of adults that are kind of dusting off their tournament games including me. I was a little bit tight when we started yesterday in the men’s open doubles.”

Tan said she’s elated with her and Race’s triumph in the 50-and-over mixed doubles, but added that winning is not always the end-all of participating in sports.

“Playing sports that’s the goal, right? Every time you would play your best and I think I played my best and then it happened,” she said.

Tan echoed Race’s sentiments about it being a long time since adult tennis players competed in a tournament.

“Two years of not been playing a tournament is really hard. You feel rusty in a way mentally and physically. Nothing comes easy. Just prepare mentally and physically. I’m pretty fit too because I do run three times a week. I’m so used to running as I’ve been doing it for almost 15 years.”

When asked how she was able to balance organizing the tournament and playing at the same time, Tan said “I just pushed through and I always love practice anyway.”

Tan wasn’t done yet as she later teamed up with Patrick Vincent Aquino to win the mixed doubles 4.0. The pair took the championship after beating Dunlop and George Poquiz, 6-0, 6-4.

Aquino said he’s very happy with the doubles win with Tan, adding that it’s their second mixed doubles championship after also combining last May to win the same division in the 2021 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament.

“We complement each other. Lydia is very good on the defense and at the net. I also believe I’m more effective on the attack and back side of the court,” he said.

Aquino, who used to play college tennis in his native Philippines, said their key to being a potent team is communication.

“We always strategize before the match and during the game.”

Tan and Aquino advanced to the finals after disposing of top seed Irin Chung and Wataru Kadokura, 6-3, 6-1. They defeated Martin and Sarka Jambor, 6-3, 6-2, in the first round.

Dunlop and Poquiz, the second seeds, had an easier route to the championship round as they won a walkover against Aguidave Jones and Gillan Mae Lucera in the semis. They got a bye in the opening round.

In the mixed doubles 3.0, Derek and Elizabeth Culp took the championship after defeating Yutaka Kadokura and Lina Tsukagoshi in the finals, 6-4,6-2. The Culps booked the finals ticket after hurdling Dave Guerrero and Michelle Park, 6-1, 6-1, and Richard Sikkel and Thu Tran, 6-0-6-2, in the top draw.

Kadokura and Tsukagoshi topped the bottom draw after brushing off Jenna Kong and Jean Pierre Nogues, 6-1, 7-5, in the first round then outlasting Edwin Simbulan and Karen Jones, 3-6, 6-4, 0-7, in the semifinals.

The results of the rest of the divisions of the 2021 TanHoldings Tennis Classic will be reported in the next issues of Saipan Tribune.