Racquets ready for Coconut Classic

The 2005 Coconut Classis Tennis Tournament of the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association unfurls beginning today at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

Nine singles and doubles division will be up for grabs in the three-day tournament.

Defending champion Ralph Buenaventura will banner the boys’ 18-and-under division with Suva South Pacific Games veteran and fellow Palau Mini Games hopeful Jung Mun Chung expected to battle him in the finals.

Up-and-coming Keith Gabaldon, Nate Algaier, In Yon Ching, and Hon Suk Chang will also compete in the division.

The dearth of girls’ 18-and-under, meanwhile, forced the hand of NMITA to offer a women’s singles category in its place.

The four players that will dispute the crown are baseline basher Mayuko Arriola, promising Karen Ramsey, and cagey veterans Matty Buenaventura and Sally Wong.

Eleven players are entered in the boys’ 14-and-under division led by defending champion Russell Buenaventura, Rodger Lee, Cory San Nicolas, Dong Hyun Min, Dillon Thorpe, Henry Yang, Phillip Park, Bradley Brostrom, Sae Wan Kim, and Dominic Von Siebenthal.

In contrast, a smaller group of players are in the hunt for the girls’ 14-and-under title and they are Audrey Motto, Lila Mailman, Camryn Mosley, Jessica Soll, Aki Gotunda, and Vivian Lee.

A tourney-high 12 netters will dispute the boys’ 10-and-under division. They include Joseph Motto Jr., Clay McCullough-Stearns, Quintin Ramsey, Christian Camacho, Andrew Johnson, Hunter Thorpe, Cody Race, Christian Miller, Crosby Schultz, Tatsumori Gotunda, and defending champion Benjie Decena.

Six players are entered in the girls’ 10-and-under spearheaded by sisters Thea and Theecel Minor. Also in the batch are Amy Hudkins, Melody Johnson, Adele Hudkins, and Gabrielle Race.

The older folk also get to relieve their salad days in the men’s 40-and-over division. Leading the cast is former U.S. Virgin Islands national coach Ed Johnson, Tinian netter Sonny Decena, steadily improving Gary Ramsey, and 6’4” Richard “Doc” Brostrom.

NMITA is also offering two levels of mixed-up doubles. A full slate of 16 pairs will duke it out in the open division, while 10 aspiring duos will contest the title in the 4.0 division.

Newly elected NMITA president Eli Buenaventura is excited about the whole event and has promised participants a competitive and fun three days of tennis under the Saipan sun.

For more information on the NMITA Coconut Classic, contact tournament director Joe Motto at 287-9300.