Champions crowned as DFS tennis concludes

The 24th Annual DFS Micronesian Tennis Championships officially came to an end yesterday evening, with organizers recognizing netters who took the coveted championships of their respective divisions during an awards banquet at the Pacific Islands Club.

Leading the pack were California-native Felipe Quiroz and University of Hawaii student Amanda Weindl, with Quiroz working his magic on the court to take the men’s open singles title and Weindl having her way in the women’s open singles.

An underdog entering yesterday’s finale against power server Rory Mackay, Quiroz punched the right buttons and bounced back from a slow start to take the match and the title in three sets.

The PIC clubmate played tough in the opening set before falling, 4-6, but responded in the second set and took advantage of a cramping Mackay to return the favor and even the match at a set apiece, 6-4.

With Mackay out of sync due to fatigue, Quiroz seized momentum, placed his shots well, and closed the match for his first DFS title, 6-2.

For her part, Weindl took on 12-year-old Lila Mailman and dominated for the win in straight sets. The ITF certified umpire and former track and field star got off on the right foot and took the first set, 6-4, then kicked it up a notch and made sure there was no comeback as she strolled to a 6-3 clincher.

Meanwhile, Steve Nutting also had his share of the spotlight and won the men’s 40-and-over category, beating Gary Ramsey in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. Richard Asuncion also had his tuff working for him and beat out hardworking Father Ryan Jimenez 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 to take home the men’s 4.0 crown.

Cross-over sensation Mayuko Arriola also made her presence felt and showed she could hang with the guys as she won the men’s 3.0 title after scoring an easy 6-1, 6-1 victory over Henry Pun. Arriola advanced after defeating young gun Joe Motto Jr. 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals, while Pun earned his finals ticket by eliminating youth netter Henry Yang 6-3, 7-6.

Also ending the weekend on a high note was Camryn Mosley, who performed well in the clutch to squeeze past Sadako Arriola in three sets in the women’s 3.0. The two were neck and neck in the opening set before Mosley mustered enough juice to grab the advantage, 7-5, but Arriola came back firing in the second set and refused to give in, forcing a do-or-die third set with a 6-4 victory.

The nail-biting contest carried over to the decisive set, but at the end, it was Mosley who controlled the closing moments, capturing the title with a 6-4 win.

The weekend also featured doubles action in the youth corner, with Motto joining forces with Hunter Thorpe to win the boys’ 12-and-under category over the determined team of Bradley Brostrom and Tatsu Gotanda. The duo breezed through the opening set for a 6-1 victory, but had a harder time as Brostrom and Gotanda put up a stronger charge in the second set. Motto and Thorpe, however, scored when they needed to for a 7-5 ending.

Not to be outclassed, Cleo von Siebanthal and Jessica Soll were among the group who accomplished what they set out to do after teaming up to win the girls’ 12-and-under doubles crown. The two youth standouts were successful in pulling the right strings to beat the tough tandem of Thea Minor and Melody Johnson 6-4, 6-3.

The two-weekend tournament was organized by the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association.