Kim avenges loss to Chung, takes U12 crown

Helen Kim, seen here serving during a junior tournament earlier this season, topped the U12 singles event of last weekend’s 2018 PIC Tennis Championships. (Contributed Photo)

Helen Kim got back at her tormentor, Serin Chung, after winning their girls U12 singles title game in the 2018 PIC Tennis Championships last Sunday at the Pacific Islands Club hard courts.

Kim, who was stunned by Serin in the semifinals in last month’s 2018 CNMI Junior Tennis Champions to eventually settle for third place, this time finished on top after sweeping her rival in the finals, 6-2, 6-2. With the title win, Kim notched her second crown in the division, as she also topped the 2017 Coconut Tennis Classic held last February at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

The No. 1 seed Kim marched into the championship match after eliminating Savita Sikkel, 6-4, 6-3, and Boome Park, 6-2, 6-0, at the upper half of the draw. Sikkel and Park earned the right to face Kim in the quarterfinals and semis after beating Hoo Wang, 0-6, 6-2, 10-8, and Yejin Son, 6-4, 6-3, respectively.

Serin, on the other hand, ousted Anna Kwon, 6-0, 6-1, and Dana Lee, 6-4, 6-3, at the lower half of the draw to notch the second finals ticket. Lee, earlier, won over Seiyul Hong, 6-1, 6-4, and Kwon prevailed against Soarin Oh, 7-5, 6-0, 10-4, before bowing to Serin. Hong advanced after a victory via walkover against Irin Chung.

Meanwhile, Hyejin Elliot was the other winner in the girls singles division contest (U16) in the opening week of the Pacific Islands Club-organized tournament. Elliot defeated Anika Okawa, 6-0, 6-1.

In other results in Week 1, the pair of Raj Rai and Ryan Cho triumphed in the men’s 4.0 doubles after slipping past Roy Pangelinan and Ken Imaya in a three-set finale.

The champions eked out a 7-6 victory in the first set, but missed the sweep when Pangelinan and Imaya prevailed in the second in similar scores. Then in the deciding third set, Rai and Cho regained their bearings and took a 6-3 win.

Rai and Cho moved into the finals after sweeping Nakaya and Kami in the semis, while Pangelinan and Imaya won the other Final Four match versus Gary Ramsey and Eric Abragan, 6-0, 7-5.

In the women’s open doubles, the mother-and-daughter tandem Lydia and Tania Tan drew first blood in the round-robin contest after dominating Chizuka and Reika Nakaya, 6-0, 6-1. Malika Miyawaki and Coume Kaga are the other players entered in the division, which will continue its games this weekend to determine the champions.