Julian Cho's two forehand volleys put away the championship match and led Humphreys to the Division I boys doubles title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – What a difference a year makes.
Nathan Hwang and Julian Cho exited in the first round of last year’s Far East tennis tournament. On Wednesday, they were crowned Division I boys doubles champions.
The Humphreys juniors rallied from a set down in the final to take the second set and won the third-set tiebreaker to beat Nile C. Kinnick junior twins Noah and Aaden Otteson 3-4 (5-7), 4-0, 7-5 at Iwakuni Middle School’s tennis complex.
“We were pretty worried” after dropping the first set, Hwang said after the match. “But we practice a lot. We just did what we always do.”
It was a Blackhawks sweep of the Far East doubles titles. Reigning D-I singles champion Chloe Lee paired with freshman Skylar Park to capture the girls final 4-2, 4-2 over Kadena junior Julia Mendoza and senior Brooke Brewer.
The Division II boys doubles went to Yokota’s Roesch brothers, junior Ryunosuke — the reigning Far East singles champion — and sophomore Kotaro, 4-2, 4-0 over Matthew C. Perry’s Ren Spinosi and Aira Fujinuma.
Zama freshman Maya McElroy and senior Jolie Nguyen won the D-II girls title, blanking Daegu sophomore Jina Kim and senior Irene Won 4-0, 4-0.
Humphreys junior Chloe Lee served up a Far East Division I girls doubles title to go with her singles crown from last year. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Brooke Brewer came up just short in her bid for a Far East Division I girls doubles title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Julia Mendoza came up just short in her bid for a Far East Division I girls doubles title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kinnick's Aaden Otteson came up a tiebreaker short in his bid for a Far East boys Division I doubles title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
In the boys D-I matchup, Kinnick’s Otteson brothers rallied from down 5-3 in the deciding tiebreaker to tie it before Cho sealed the deal for Humphreys with two forehand volleys that bounced between the two Red Devils.
“I saw a target and just placed the ball there,” Cho said. “I stick with what I always do, let the opponent make the mistake first and all I have to do is hit steady and controlled.”
Lee and Park fell behind early in the first set of the girls final 2-1, then won the next six games to seize a 3-0 lead in the second set.
The Panthers didn’t quit, though — taking the next two games — and fought off two championship points in the sixth game before Park hit a forehand that Kadena returned wide right to end the match.
“It’s indescribable,” Park said. “I couldn’t believe it. Thrilling, shocking, really exciting all at the same time.”
As with every point she scored, Park said she saw an invisible tournament banner “that led me to every single shot. And Chloe, with her encouragement. I really want to express my gratitude to her. I feel fortunate that we were paired together today.”
Ryunosuke Roesch repeated as D-II doubles champion, this time playing alongside his brother Kotaro, who captured his first Far East tennis title of any description.
“I feel very excited,” Kotaro Roesch said. “We had good teamwork, good communication, good ball placement.”
McElroy entered the season as something of a prodigy, far from new to the sport, and pairing her technique and skill with Nguyen’s experience proved to be a winning combination, Zama coach Oscar Baldemor said.
“I’m really proud of these two girls,” Baldemor said. “These two had chemistry and were able to pull through. They didn’t give their opponents any chance.”
The doubles finals were originally slated for Saturday, but they were moved up due to a forecast of rain Thursday and Saturday. Mixed doubles are slated for Thursday, with singles on Friday, weather permitting.
Kinnick's Noah Otteson came up a tiebreaker short in his bid for a Far East boys Division I doubles title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Humphreys' rookie Skylar Park paired with reigning Far East girls singles champion Chloe Lee to capture the girls Division I doubles title Wednesday. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Yokota's Kotaro Roesch paired with his brother Ryunosuke, the two-time reigning Far East singles champion, to capture the Division II boys doubles crown Wednesday. (Taisei Shimakura/Special to Stripes)
Daegu’s Jina Kim paired with Irene Won and finished second to Zama‘s Maya McElroy and Jolie Nguyen in the chase for the Far East Division II girls doubles title. (Taisei Shimakura/Special to Stripes)
