Lai San beats Lam in men’s open finals

Davis Cup campaigner and Tahiti national player Heimanarii Lai San won his very first championship in CNMI soil after defeating up-and-coming youngster La Hunn Lam in the finals of the 2024 Bridge Capital Tennis Classic men’s open last Saturday at the American Memorial Park.

The 23-year-old former varsity tennis player of Division II Anderson University withstood Lam, 7-5, 4-2 (retired) after the latter rolled his ankle and wasn’t able to continue.

“Playing on Saipan is always very enjoyable for me. The tennis community has always been very welcoming and I have made so many good friends over the years I have been visiting,” said Lai San.

He also commended 14-year-old Lam for a very competitive finals until his unfortunate ankle accident.

“I think that he has a lot of potential and I think that his mindset is in the right place. He is well surrounded and has everything that he needs to be successful. I wish him the very best and I am happy to help him whenever I am here on Saipan,” said Lai San.

Lam, for his part, said it was really unfortunate that he sustained an injury in the finals against Lai San.

“I popped my ankle which caused me severe pain in the second set of the match. I couldn’t stand up at that time. I had to retire. I wish I could have finished the finals.”

He went on to thank his finals opponent for taking him under his wing.

“I was really lucky and thankful to be able to play against such an amazing player like Heima in the finals. I especially want to thank him that he plays practice matches with me whenever he visits Saipan. It really helped me to improve my game. I also like to say a big thank you to coach Jeff [Race], Bobby [Cruz], Colin [Ramsey], Tomas [Abel], the rest of the CNMI national team, and friends for all the support they have given me. I’ll always appreciate it,” Lam added.

Lai San advanced to the finals following a tough 7-5, 6-4 win over to seed Ramsey. He debuted with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Henry Choi.

Lam punched his ticket to the championship round after turning back No. 2 Abel, 6-2. 6-0. He opened the tourney with a roller-coaster 4-6, 6-0, 10-6 triumph over third seed David Kwon.

In the men’s singles 40, top seed Paul Jang upended Brian Wessel, 6-4, 7-5, in the finals. The former moved into the championship round with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Fayce El Karaa. Wessel barged into the finals after upsetting No. 2 John Bradley, 6-0, 7-5.

In the men’s doubles 40, Bong Gamab and Ed Javier edged Ken Imaya and Wessel via percentage points in the round-robin, 51.2%-50%. Gamab and Javier beat Imaya and Wessel, 6-3, 6-4, but lost to Jeff Race and Bradley, 3-6, 6-7 (4). Imaya and Wessel then took down Race and Bradley, 4-6, 7-5, 10-5.

Results of the women’s doubles, women’s doubles 35, and women’s singles 35 of the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association-organized 2024 Bridge Capital Tennis Classic will be published in tomorrow’s issue of Saipan Tribune.