Over 100 players sign up for Verizon Cup

The Saipan Tennis Association is proud to announce that over 100 players have signed up for its 2nd Verizon Cup tennis tournament that will start today at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

First up in the competition is the doubles division, where many-time singles champion Faheem Ebrahim has teamed up with association president Roy Pangelinan in the men’s open.

The duo incidentally has been ranked No. 1 in the division. They are expected to get tough challenges from a couple of darkhorse teams, namely the partnership of Jack McClure and Don Dunlop and the tandem of Lope Padilla and Peter Ayala.

The tournament would also witness the debut of the duo of Richard Asuncion and Buddy Garote in the men’s open category.

Taking the pole position in men’s 4.5, meanwhile, is the team of Ronnie Lacbayo and Elmer Guzman. Expected to meet them in the finals is the father-and-son tandem of youth netter Jung Mun Chung and his dad Dale Chung.

The fire-and-ice team of Jorge Olanda and Edwin Guzman is holding court in men’s 4.0. Teams jockeying for position to get a crack at them are the twosome of Mel Pila and Gerald Narciso and the duo of Renato Espanola and John Wayne Kintaro.

The Commonwealth Health Center duet of Richard Brostrom and Gary Ramsey are the players to watch in men’s 3.0. Hoping to dislodge them from their lofty perch are the promising pair of Massimo Flouti and Eric Robinson and the team of Bobby Nato and John Jenkins. Incidentally, the latter partnership could match up the best against giant Brostrom and Ramsey with Nato also standing at 6’4”.

The top seed in the women’s open is the tried-and-tested partnership of Young Son and Letty Jones. The team-up that are making the most noise in 4.0 is Merle Hudkins and Gina Lopez, while small-but-terrible Agnes Salazar and her partner Minako are expected to go all the way in 3.0.

Singles and mixed doubles play get underway next week starting on Aug. 4 with categories in the men’s 5.0, men’s 4.0, men’s 3.0, women’s 4.0, women’s 3.0, women’s 2.0, mixed doubles 5.0, mixed doubles 4.0, and mixed doubles 3.0.

Sponsor Verizon has committed $1,000 in cash and about $2,000 worth of cellular phones, phone cards, t-shirts, caps, and other merchandize to STA for the tournament.

For more information on the 2nd Verizon Cup please call Roy Pangelinan at 256-7769, Nelia Luna at 288-5151/287-0859, Agnes Salazar at 287-0858, Richard Asuncion at 287-0856, Babu Malayil at 286-9745, or Lope Padilla at 286-9733. Those interested can also e-mail STA at saipan_tennis@yahoo.com.