Tudela leads Week 2 singles winners

Vincent Tudela serves to Martin Jambor during their semis game in the men’s 4.0 singles event of the 7th Tan Holdings Tennis Classic last weekend at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan courts. (Contributed Photo)

Top-ranked Vincent Tudela was among the champions crowned in Week 2 of the 7th Annual Tan Holdings Tennis Classic.

Tudela ruled the men’s 4.0 singles after sweeping Steven Goodwin, 6-1, 6-2, in the finals last Sunday at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan court. Earlier last Saturday, Tudela worked hard for a 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 triumph against Martin Jambor in the semifinals to set up a title duel against Goodwin, who prevailed against fellow junior player Seung Jin Paik in the other Final Four pairing, 6-1, 6-2.

There are two other adults singles events played in the final week of the annual tournament with Raj Rai and Luke Beling joining Tudela on the champions list.

Rai took the men’s over 40 singles crown after surviving Dong Min Lee in a super tiebreak finale, 6-2, 4-6, 10-3. Rai made it to the title match following his victories against Chan Whang Jang, 6-0, 6-1, and Guam’s Sam Lai, 6-4, 5-7, 10-6. Lai arranged a semis date against Rai following a 6-2, 6-0 win against Gary Ramsey at the upper half of the draw. At the lower half of the draw, Lee notched a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Randy Steele and then beat Mihai Leta, 6-0, 6-0 to book the second finals ticket.

In the men’s open singles, Beling eased his way to the championship after winning via walkover against Bobby Cruz, who could not make it to last Sunday’s finale due to fatigue.

Cruz gassed out after enduring the longest match in the tournament—a more than three hour-semis showdown against CNMI national coach Jeff Race. Cruz dropped the extended opening set, 6-7 (3), but remained in contention following his victory in another closely fought second set, 7-5. In the deciding super tiebreaker third set, the two former members of the CNMI National Men’s Team went back-and-forth with Cruz finally wrapping up the match with an 18-16 victory.

While Cruz labored for a finals berth in the men’s open singles, Beling cruised to the title match following a 6-0, 6-0 win against Moris Villanueva in the upper bracket semifinals. Villanueva challenged Beling in the Final Four after eliminating Dylan Ackerman, 6-1, 6-2.

Beling and the other singles champions and finalists in the Tan Holdings tournament were awarded plaques during last Sunday’s banquet at the Hibiscus Hall of the Fiesta Resort.

Meanwhile, results in the adults doubles events will be reported later this week.