Toyota Tennis Tournament revs up today

The Saipan Tennis Association will kick off the 2nd Annual Toyota Tennis Tournament today at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

With entries in the men’s open still not finalized, STA lists 52 doubles teams competing in the other six divisions.

Eight doubles pairs will contest the men’s 4.5 division vacated by Boyet Minor and Dino Jones. The pair of Peter Loyola and Ji Hoon Heo is the darkhorse for the championship, while expected to stand on their way are longtime partners Richard Asuncion and Gerald Narciso and the recently promoted duo of Jorge Olanda and Edwin Maratas.

With last year’s winners Elmer Guzman and Ronnie Lacbayo not entered and favorites Olanda and Maratas vanquished to the higher category, the men’s 4.0 is a wide-open race.

Thirteen teams have signed up for the division with the Commonwealth Health center pair of Bert Ventura and Dodong Espanola and the experienced tandem of Father Ryan Jimenez and Michael Robert among the favorites to go all the way.

A record-number 16 teams will see action in the men’s 3.0. The players to watch are the Saipan-Tinian mild-mannered connection of Maratas and Archie Montecillo, the local pairing of Feel Kalen and Keith Gabaldon, and the veteran team of Ricky Castro and Matt Buensuceso. In 2004, Kalen partnered with Espanola to bring home the title.

Four doubles pairs will duke it out in the men’s 2.0 with the champions to be hailed as the most promising beginners of the bunch. Lito Santos and Louie Calampang were the top neophytes a year ago,

Kazumi Imai and Yuko Kobayashi, meanwhile, hope to keep the momentum of their triumph in last weekend’s Coca-Cola Tennis Championships going by dominating anew the women’s open division of the Toyota tournament.

Out to give them a challenge are the partnerships of Sally Wong and Cleofe Santos and Young Son and Letty Jones. There was no women’s open division last year.

The other half of last year’s champion in the women’s 4.0 returns but it’s still up in the air whether Merle Hudkins and her new partner, the promising Ayumi Cajigan, will equal Hudkins and Gina Lopez’s title romp in 2004.

Others entered in the division are the May-September team-ups of Ligaya Paculanang and Audrey Motto and Nelia Luna and Dinalette Jones.

For more information about the 2nd Annual Toyota Tennis Tournament, contact STA president Roy Pangelinan at 256-7769, vice president-internal Nelia Luna at 288-5151, vice president-external Ricky Castro at 234-5091, secretary Agnes Salazar at 286-8472, public relations officer Edwin Maratas at 287-0870, auditor Lito Santos at 286-4340, and board members Peter Loyola at 483-3424 and Richard Asuncion at 287-0856. Those interested can also email at saipan_tennis@yahoo.com.