Finals picture getting clearer

Most of the semis pairings in the doubles competition of the 2nd Annual Toyota Tennis Tournament were determined Saturday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

In the men’s 4.0, Richard Asuncion and Johnny Johnson arranged a Final Four tiff with Hector Benitez and Buddy Garote following their 6-2, 7-5 win over Jorge Olanda and Joe San Nicolas.

The other half of the bracket would have Art Lopez and Romy “Colonel” Sotto taking on tourney surprise Feel Kalen and Boyet Minor.

Lopez and Sotto outplayed Ronnie Lacbayo and Eric Mahinay in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, while Kalen and Minor negated the height and speed of the Commonwealth Health Center tandem of Richard Brostrom and Gary Ramsey 6-4, 6-4.

In the men’s 3.0, San Nicolas and Budoy Mocorro of Tinian will be facing Kalen and Keith Gabaldon in the semis after the latter disposed of Babu Malayil and Sathiyan Kalarikkal in three closely fought sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The other semis pairing will have MacDuffy Llaban and Ruben Leynes taking on the Tinian connection of Archie Montecillo and Edwin Mocorro.

Llaban and Leynes advanced following a 6-3, 6-4 win over Yesman Gurung and Yiob Ngirachemoi. Montecillo and Mocorro are in the semis after their brilliant 6-1, 6-0 rout of Boy Cruz and Orly De Leon.

While the men are still busy sorting out the pairs playing in the championship, the women have already decided the sets of players that will see action in the women’s open finals.

First to advance were the tried-and-tested team-up of Letty Jones and Young Son after the duo survived the youthful energy and earsplitting shrills of teenage netters and best friends Audrey Motto and Vivian Lee 6-4, 6-1.

Lee incidentally celebrated her 13th birthday with a multi-cultural feast that evening, which reflected Saipan Tennis Association’s membership.

Top seeds Kazumi Imai and Yuko Kobayashi, meanwhile, got more than they bargained for in their match against hard-hitting Lucita Pasana and Nelia Luna.

Pasana and Luna entertained upset thoughts all throughout the match and made their opponents nervous when they took a 3-2 lead in the first set.

But the experienced duo of Imai and Kobayashi regrouped and quickly shut the door on Pasana and Luna and won 6-3, 6-1.

In the women’s 3.0, Vangie Espanola and Mia Jones got the better of the mother-and-daughter tandem of Ellen and Jennifer Uy 7-5, 4-6 (6-7), 6-4.

The other match in the division then saw Emily Cuan and Linda Decena get past Sue Reyes and Thea Halliday 6-2, 6-3. Incidentally, save for the pair of Espanola and Jones, all players that saw action in the women’s 3.0 Saturday hail from Tinian.