Yokota's Ryunosuke Roesch hits a backhand in the D-II boys singles final. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — Perhaps nobody was more surprised at capturing the Far East tennis tournament girls Division II singles title than Zama’s Jolie Nguyen.

The senior battled back from down 5-2 in the third-set tiebreaker, scoring the last five points to beat favored freshman teammate Maya McElroy 2-4, 5-3, 7-5.

“I didn’t expect this,” Nguyen said. “Maya did so good.”

It was one of two Far East singles finals played between teammates. Chloe Lee of Humphreys repeated her Far East Division I girls singles of a year ago, beating freshman teammate Skylar Park 5-3, 4-1.

Another player familiar with the champion’s podium, Yokota’s Ryunosuke Roesch won his third straight boys D-II crown, topping Matthew C. Perry’s Aira Fujinuma 4-1, 4-0.

Joining Nguyen as a first-time champion was Nile C. Kinnick’s Aaden Otteson, a junior who took the boys D-I title by downing Humphreys junior Nathan Hwang 4-1, 4-1.

McElroy was new to high school tennis, but not new to the sport when she joined the Trojans and put together a dominant rookie season.

She teamed with Nguyen to win the D-II girls doubles title two days ago 4-0, 4-0 and the two cruised through the Far East singles draw Friday to the finals, where McElroy seized the first set in short order.

Nguyen rallied to take the second to force a third-set tiebreak. McElroy went up 5-2 and was in position to serve for the match.

“I told myself if I was going to lose, I would lose playing my best,” Nguyen said, adding that she tried everything, “running, lobbing, hitting as hard as I could.”

Nguyen broke serve to fight off two match points and scored the next three after that to take the title.

“I was too tight and too nervous and that’s where I messed up. But I tried my hardest,” McElroy said afterward.

Zama's Jolie Nguyen hits a forehand during the D-II girls singles final. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kinnick's Aaden Otteson hits a forehand return. He won the Far East Division I boys singles title for the first time. (Taisei Shimakura/Special to Stripes)

Humphreys' Chloe Lee delivers a serve in the D-I girls singles final. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Zama's Maya McElroy hits an overhand smash in the D-II girls singles final. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Humphreys' Skylar Park hits a forehand en route to a runner-up Far East girls D-I singles finish. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Perry's Aira Fujinuma hits a backhand in the D-II boys singles final. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Also confessing to nerves was Lee, who felt that in Park she had the type of teammate and finals opponent who could push her to play her hardest. The two played in an earlier round of the double-elimination bracket Friday, with Lee beating Park 4-1, 4-2.

“We definitely motivate each other and drive each other to do our best,” Lee said. “I was definitely nervous. She is such a good player, she’s grown throughout the season, she has pushed me. I had a really competitive player to play at Far East and I’m really grateful.”

Park said she and Lee practice together quite a bit back at Camp Humphreys, “so it’s not that big a deal. But it did feel like new competing on this stage. It was a really good experience,” Park said.

Roesch has been battling a sore upper right arm this season, so he could not hit the ball as hard as he would want, he said.

“I tried to stay relaxed, more controlled than usual,” Roesch said. “I couldn’t hit the ball hard, so I moved my feet around more. It didn’t matter if I lose a point, just go get the next point.”

Like Lee with Park, Otteson also played Hwang in an earlier round Friday, winning 4-1, 4-3 (7-4). The D-I boys and girls players began the day playing at Atago Sports Complex out in town and shifted to Iwakuni Middle School’s tennis courts on base for the finals.

“I adjusted to these courts really well and got some rest before the match,” Otteson said. “I really trusted my shots, and I believe that all my practice paid off.”

The Far East tournament concludes Saturday with the D-I champions in all brackets squaring off against their D-II counterparts for overall Far East championship honors.

And for Korea players, the season is not yet over. Osan, Daegu and Humphreys players gather at Osan Air Base on Oct. 31 for the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference postseason tournament.