Coconut Classic heats up at AMP

The American Memorial Park tennis courts was the place to be for tennis fanatics as action heated up over the weekend in the 2005 Coconut Classic Tennis Tournament hosted by the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association.

Youth standout Vivian Lee was among those on top of their game, storming to the finals of the girls’ 14-and-under category and eventually took the title.

Lee had her way against Aki Gotunda and advanced to the final with an easy 8-2 win. Standing in her way was fellow youth sensation Audrey Motto, who earlier beat Laila Mailman, 8-5.

Lee and Motto were at each others’ neck in the finale, matching each other and thus forcing a tie breaker. That’s when Lee assumed control and capped her run with an exclamation point, taking the tiebreaker 7-1 for an 8-7 victory.

The girls’ 10-and-under featured a battle of the Minors, with Thea beating Theecel 6-2. Theecel had earlier advanced to play Thea by beating Gabrielle Race.

The boys’ corner was just as exciting, with Joseph Motto and Tatsumori Gotunda setting the stage for the 10-and-under final tomorrow.

Motto had his game face on and was too much for Quintin Ramsey, winning in a score of 6-3. He then faced Christopher Lee, who was coming off a 7-5 win over Hunter Thorpe.

Motto was just in a zone of his own, creaming Lee 6-0.

Meanwhile, Tatsumori’s journey included a win over Crosby Schultz followed by an easy ticket to the finals with a 6-1 victory over Cody Race, who had earlier defeated Christian Miller, 6-3.

The boys’ 14-and-under final will feature Russell Buenaventura clashing with Calvin Yang.

Buenaventura had no problems against category newcomer Benjie Decena, 8-1, and followed it up with an 8-4 win over DH Kim in the semifinals. Kim advanced to the semis with an 8-0 victory over Henry Yang.

Calvin Yang’s road began with a tough 8-7 win over Dominic von Siebenthal. He then earned a final berth with an 8-3 win over Phil Park, who played Yang after beating Bradley Brostrom, 8-6.

Also remaining on track for a title were Jung Mun Chung and Ralph Buenaventura, who both posted convincing wins en route to earning their championship match ticket in the boys’ 18-and-under.

Chung was his usual self in beating Keith Gabaldon, 8-2, while Buenaventura tormented Ho Suk Chang, shutting him down for an 8-0 win.

Veterans Dick Brostrom and Ed Johnson are scheduled to battle for the men’s over 40 title, with Johnson beating Gary Ramsey 8-3 and Brostrom edging Joe Motto 8-6.

Mixed up doubles featured the duo of Russell Buenaventura and Calvin Yang pounding away against Phillip Park and Camryn Mosley, 8-2, while Roger Lee and Audrey Motto slipped past Aki Gotunda and Vivian Lee, 8-7.

Other results will be made available today.

NMITA president Eli Buenaventura indicated yesterday that all championship matches will be played today, beginning at 12pm.