Mixed-up doubles down to 16 pairs

Ken Song makes a return near the net, while partner Jim Tuttle stays back for the next play during their mixed-up doubles game against sister Alina and Julia Ishikawa in the 2014 White Coconut Classic Tennis Tournament last Saturday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.(ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

The 38-pair field in the mixed-up doubles event of 2014 White Coconut Classic Tennis Tournament was cut down to 16 at the completion of Week 1 matches at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

Leading the Round of 16 qualifiers were the Top 2 ranked tandems of Luke Beling and Joshua Abragan and Peter Loken and Steven Goodwin.

Beling and Abragan were at the top half of the draw and advanced to the next round after sweeping Ken Imaya and Jamin Elliot last Sunday, 6-0, 6-2. The No.1 seeded pair’s foes in the Round of 16 are Theecel Minor and Haruya Eda, who needed three sets to eliminate Tommy Choi and Ellie Epley, 6-2, 4-6, 10-2.

Other second-round pairings in the upper bracket are Moris Villanueva and Eugene Park versus Chris Park and Mimi Sakano; Seiya Eda and Robbie Schorr against Tony Kim and Jeff Elliot; and Mikayla Lopez and Anthony Gregoire versus Amami Sakano and Conatsu Kaga.

Villanueva and Eugene Park survived the opening round after defeating Father Ryan Jimenez and Erika Tuttle, 6-3, 6-4, while Daniel Park and Mimi Sakano ousted Negahr Rastguiy and Riko Ojima, 7-5, 7-5. Kim and Elliot cruised past Kazumi Imai and Daniel Kang, 6-1, 6-1, while Seiya Eda and Schorr also eased past Rintaro Miyawaki and W.C. Lee, 6-1, 6-2.

Lopez and Gregoire labored a 4-6, 7-6, 10-8 victory over Marivic Rosario and Sean Lee for a Round of 16 date with Amami Sakano and Conatsu Kaga, who took only two sets to down Christian Miller and Tiara Imai, 6-4, 6-2, in the top half of the draw.

In the lower half, the second-ranked Loken and Steven Goodwin dominated Cleofe Santos and A.J. Hudkins last Saturday, 6-1, 6-0. Earlier last Saturday, Santos and Hudkins beat Daniel Park and Bob Kim, 6-4, 6-3.

Steven Goodwin and Loken are paired against Luther Lizama and Marielle Lopez in the next round, as the latter pair also won last weekend against Thea Minor and Shaira Valle, 6-0, 6-2.
Completing the Round of 16 qualifiers in the bottom half of the draw were Ami Tsukagoshi and Primo Po, Gary Ramsey and Tania Tan, Jeff Race and Grace Choi, Steven Beyer and Coume Kagam, Vincent Tudela and Gang Min Kim, and Tim Goodwin and Malika Miyawaki.

Malika Miyawaki and Tim Goodwin marched into the next round after topping Alex Martin and Hana Ojima, 6-1, 6-2, and will be battling Tudela and Kim this weekend. Tudela and Kim gained a spot to the next round after defeating Lydia Tan and Maria Gregoire, 6-4, 4-6, 10-7.

Beyer and Kaga and Race and Choi set their Round of 16 duel after bagging similar straight set wins over Angelo Jones and Jireh Warren, 6-3, 6-3, and siblings Alina and Julia Ishikawa, 6-4, 6-1, respectively. Tania Tan and Gary Ramsey also took the short route to victory against Michael Ren and Jeffrey Seo, 6-2, 6-4, for a Round of 16 showdown against Po and Tsukagoshi, who booted out Maaya Sato and Mihoko Tuttle, 6-4, 4-6, 11-9.