Defending champs hold sway in NPQ

Defending champions Adam Rudolph, Michelle Pang, and Ji Hoon Heo have yet to drop a set in the ongoing North Pacific Qualifying Tennis Tournament.

Action soldiered on at the American Memorial Park tennis courts yesterday despite the continuing monsoon that already caused a two-hour delay on opening day.

Rudolph was a picture of consistency in racking up two more wins. The 18-year-old Guamanian beat an erratic Nicolas Son of the CNMI in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, and then shutout FSM’s Ryan Yamada, 6-0, 6-0. He also took care of Tyrone Welley of FSM, 6-0, 6-0, on Monday.

Also spotless in the boys 18-and-under division are Jung Mun Chung and Tim Quan of the CNMI and Dean Dedicatoria of Guam.

Chung was impressive in his 6-0, 6-0 conquest of Son but had trouble in beating Johnny Johnson, 6-1, 6-4. Quan, for his part, raised his record to 2-0 after topping Guam’s Nikhil Singh, 6-1, 6-1, last Monday. Dedicatoria played to his potential in turning back Ralph Buenaventura, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Other Tuesday results saw Yamada defeat Welley, 6-4, 6-2; Johnson beat Welley, 6-0, 6-1; and Singh upend Midion Neth, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Buenaventura also beat Neth, 6-0, 6-3, Monday.

Pang, for her part, trained her sights on the CNMI’s Na-Sil Heo, exacting the same 6-0, 6-0 fate she gave her sister Na-Hee a day earlier. A night’s rest was good for Na-Hee, as she picked up a win against sister Na-Lim, 6-2, 6-3.

Kelsey Isechal of Palau also won her second match turning back the challenge of countrywoman Uriik Luii, 6-3, 6-1, while Kim Yamaguchi of FSM blew away Yumika Sugahara of Guam, 6-0, 6-0.

The rest of Monday’s results had Yamaguchi overwhelm Na-Lim, 6-1, 6-4, and Sugahara blank Luii, 6-0, 6-0.

While her sisters are trying to keep their heads above water in the girls 18s, little brother Ji Hoon has so far dominated the boys 14-and-under age group. The 12-year-old dropped only a game in beating compatriot Benjie Decena and Dayn Iehsi of FSM yesterday.

Other CNMI players in the division didn’t too well, however. Decena fought hard but dropped a 3-6, 2-6 decision against Odanges Dengoki of Palau. Russell Buenaventura had a poor showing, losing to Guam’s Justin Dugan, 6-0, 6-0. Dillon Thorpe suffered his third loss of the tourney falling to Buenaventura, 0-6, 2-6.

Other results in the 14-and-under boys had Dugan get the better of Palau’s Mark Alex, 6-3, 6-0, and Lloyd Yamada defeat Alex, 6-2, 6-0.

Monday saw three other games in the division wrap up. Dengoki survived 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 against Iehsi, while Dugan thumped Thorpe, 6-0, 6-0. Yamada also scored an upset of sorts, outplaying Buenaventura, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6).

In the girls 14-and-under, Mayuko Arriola of the CNMI has taken the reins of the only age group with no returning champion this year. The crafty 14-year-old won two more games yesterday after routing FSM’s Alona Jackson, 6-0, 6-0 and beating stable mate Kanani Ashraf, 6-4, 6-1.

Breathing down her neck are Ayuri Sugahara and Terea Tapu of Guam and the CNMI’s Lila Mailman.

Tapu triumphed against Megan Helgenberger of FSM, 6-2, 6-3, yesterday and topped the CNMI’s Vivian Lee, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-4 Monday. Sugahara, for her part, won her second match Monday when she outplayed Jackson, 6-1, 6-1. Mailman also has two wins, hacking out a 6-3, 6-1 win over Lee yesterday and defeating Helgenberger, 6-0, 6-0, Monday.

After two losses, Audrey Motto of the CNMI finally came away with a victory yesterday when she took out her frustration on Jackson, 6-0, 6-0.