Spectators watch marathon matches by Dennis Fujimoto – The Garden Island PO‘IPU — Marathon matches were the rule of the day as one highlighted the boys’ matches and another kept the girls’ courts filled with spectators Saturday. But when the
Spectators watch marathon matches
by Dennis Fujimoto – The Garden Island
PO‘IPU — Marathon matches were the rule of the day as one highlighted the boys’ matches and another kept the girls’ courts filled with spectators Saturday.
But when the final ball was addressed, the Kaua‘i and Waimea high school teams ended in a split, Waimea taking the boys matches 3-2, while Kaua‘i went home with a 3-2 edge in the girls’ series in the KIF tennis matches played at the Kiahuna Tennis Courts.
The boys’ results rested on the outcome of the No. 1 and No. 2 singles that were taking place at the Lower Courts.
“Right now, we have a 2-1 edge,” said Paulette Lum, the Waimea coach as she kept an eye on the court featuring No. 2 singles Michael Haack going against Ryan Bieker.
Drawing on the nickname being tossed out by his Menehune fans, Haack (aka “Santa”) dug into his bag of tricks to get past Bieker 6-2, 6-3.
That gave Waimea the 3-1 edge and the marathon set taking place between No. 1 singles Darrel Nonaka and Kaua‘i’s Sterling Inouye had no bearing with its outcome.
“We already have it,” Lum said. “Even if Sterling wins, Waimea will have the boys match.”
Inouye, who started his match when the series opened at noon, was the last to walk off the courts after getting past Nonaka 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.
“Last year, we were the ‘unknowns,’” Lum said. “But after we won the boys, we had a large number of boys turn out this year. It was so large, we had to do cuts.”
In the No. 1 doubles, the Kaua‘i team of Alan Castillo and Reyn Balocan defeated the Waimea team of Harold Shimono, Jr. and Jordan Sato, 7-5, 7-6 (2). This would be Kaua‘i’s only doubles win as Waimea went on to take the No. 2 and No. 3 matches.
Ruben Nonaka and Kekoa Masuda took the No. 2 match against the team of Chris Flynn and Tim Rokohl, 6-3, 6-1 and the No. 3 Waimea team of Craig Ponting and Geoffrey Tran defeated the Raider team of Manny Cagdan and Derrick Monis 6-1, 6-4.
Kaua‘i No. 1 girls singles Dasha Lagmay put up a strong fight, but Waimea’s Tiffany Lum, a returning player from last season, improved on her game to be able to maintain her early-game charge throughout the match. That earned the veteran Menehune one of two victories in the girls matches.
Lum took the No. 1 girls 6-3, 7-6(4).
Lizzy Schiller, the No. 2 girls singles player for Kaua‘i, got past Waimea newcomer Jade Cano, 6-3, 6-4 to join the Raiders’ No. 1 and No. 2 Doubles teams for the 3-2 Kaua‘i margin.
No. 1 Doubles team of Cassady Sirois and Katie Anderson defeated the Waimea team of Ceci Sun and Rachel Wright 6-1, 6-0 while the No. 2 team of Megan Vento and Jessica Castillo took the Menehune team of LeeAnn Sagucio and May Badua 6-1, 6-0.
In a marathon match similar to the boys No. 1 singles match, the Menehune team of Leslie Gudoy and Beverly Grande prevailed in No. 3 over the Kaua‘i team of Gabi Sanehira and Tasha Hannah.
No results from the Kula/Island School matches were available at press time.
Kaua‘i will draw the bye Saturday. Waimea hosts Kula at the Hanapepe tennis courts.
Kapa‘a takes on Island School at the Kiahuna Tennis Courts. Both matches start at noon.
