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Quan, Buenaventura come up short
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Posted on Aug 25 2005
CNMI netters Tim Quan and Ralph Buenaventura were not able to build momentum after posting their first wins in the 2005 Oceania Closed Junior Championships in Lautoka, Fiji as both faltered Wednesday at the Dr. Robin Mitchell Regional Training Center tennis courts.
Quan, who the day before posted his first win of the tournament, did not find the same success as he came up short and fell in straight sets to New Zealand’s Patrick Metham.
The Hawaii Preparatory Academy graduate had a rough start and easily gave up the first set 1-6, but settled down in the second set and gave the Kiwi a good run before dropping 4-6.
For his part, Buenaventura had a tough day and like Quan, faltered in straight sets.
Faced against Chris Toli of American Samoa, the Grace Christian Academy student was caught on a bad day and bowed with a 1-6, 1-6 defeat.
The two will next battle each other in their final match of the tournament.
Buenaventura and Quan were coming off their first wins of the tournament. Both had their success against the Solomon Islands, with Buenaventura beating Ian Honila and Quan stopping Johnson Taliki on Tuesday.
Buenaventura was impressive in the opening set and pulled the right strings to take an early advantage, 6-3.
Honila, however, was determined to put up a fight, and did so as he turned the tables in the second set and leveled the match with a 2-6 victory.
Both were neck and neck in the final set, but it was Buenaventura who came up with big plays down the stretch to leave with a 7-3 clincher.
Quan was also taken to the limit before pulling through against Taliki.
Like Buenaventura, Quan got off on the right foot and posted a 6-3 first set win, but Taliki came back stronger and retaliated with a 6-0 shut out in the second set to for a decisive third set.
Taliki had his shining moments, but Quan had more as he out-performed his opponent for a 7-4 clincher.
