Aquino tops men’s singles 4.0

Patrick Vincent Aquino topped the men’s singles 4.0 division last Sunday at the 2021 TanHoldings Tennis Classic at the American Memorial Park tennis courts. (MARK RABAGO)

Patrick Vincent Aquino finally won his first singles title after topping the men’s 4.0 division last Sunday at the 2021 TanHoldings Tennis Classic at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

The 34-year-old Golden Harvest International School staff beat No. 2 seed Nason Wessel in the finals and prevailed, 6-2, 6-1.

Aquino advanced to the championship round after beating top seed Wataru Kadokura, 6-4, 6-2. He earlier defeated another junior netter, June Yu, in the first round, 6-1, 6-1. Wessel’s path to the finals saw him outlast Quintin Ramsey, 4-6, 6-0, 10-3, after getting a bye in the opening around.

Aquino dedicated his victory over Wessel in the men’s singles 4.0 championship to his loving family.

The Negros Occidental, Philippines native said he started playing tennis when he was just 10 years old and played competitively in elementary, high school, and college where he was a member of the varsity team of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City. He also represented Negros Occidental in regional and national competitions.

Aquino, however, admitted that he stopped playing the sport for 10 years from 2008 to 2018 and only reignited his passion for tennis when he arrived on Saipan three years ago.

In the men’s singles 5.0, boys 18-and-under champion Jimin Woo also claimed the men’s open title after dismissing Colin Ramsey, 6-3, 6-2, in the finals. The No. 1 seed punched his ticket to the championship round after dismissing Luther Lizama, 6-3, 6-3. He got a bye in the first round.

Ramsey started his campaign in the men’s open singles with also a bye in the first round. He then got past No. 2 seed Sean Lee, 6-3, 6-2, in the semis before being waylaid by Woo in the finals.

In the men’s singles 3.0, Aguidave Jones claimed the title after overcoming a scoreless first set to turn back J-R Jacinto, 0-6, 6-2, 10-8, in the finals. Jones, the son of Dino and Letty Jones, made it to the finals after defeating Yutaka Kadokura, 4-6, 6-4, 10-6, while Jacinto advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Jean Pierre Nogues.

Paul Jang, meanwhile, ruled the men’s singles 50 after beating Brian Wessel and Dong Min Lee. Jang triumphed over the former, 6-2, 7-6 (3), and defeated the latter, 6-4, 6-2.

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