PO‘IPU — Waimea High School earned three top berths of the four divisions being played at the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation qualifying tennis rounds at the Kiahuna Swim and Tennis Club. Players making the semifinals of each division will advance to
PO‘IPU — Waimea High School earned three top berths of the four divisions being played at the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation qualifying tennis rounds at the Kiahuna Swim and Tennis Club.
Players making the semifinals of each division will advance to the Carlsmith Ball Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association state championships.
“We had some good tennis over the past two days,” said Juan Lorenzo, an assistant with the Waimea High School tennis program. “We had some upsets, which kept things exciting, too.”
Waimea’s Brittney Barreira, second seeded in the girls singles division, finished by defeating No. 4 seed Kiara Tamayose, 6-0, 6-1.
But the excitement reigned in the semifinals of that division when the fourth-seeded freshman from Kapa‘a upset the top-seeded Tarryn Orial of Kaua‘i, 4-6, 6-3, 11-9.
Orial had advanced to the semis after defeating teammate Tori Pagador, 6-2, 6-2.
Casey Nakamura of Kapa‘a, a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Kalena Wong of Island School, was taken out by teammate Tamayose, 5-7, 6-7 (2) to meet Orial.
Saowalak Khae-Chawat of Kapa‘a, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Island School’s Katy Davidson, fell to the second-seeded Barreira, 2-6, 2-6.
Barreira defeated Michaela Fitzgerald of Island School 6-1, 6-0 to meet Tamayose in the finals.
More excitement took place in the boys doubles when the unseeded Waimea team of Patrick Cowell and Bryson Cayaban upset the No. 3 seeded team of Brad Lumabao and Gillson Guillermo, also of Waimea, in three sets, 6-1, 4-6, 10-7.
That created a backlog in the division, the semifinals taking place Friday morning when the No. 2 seed of Kai Harrison and Kenji Matsuda of Kapa‘a met the surprise team and defeated them, 6-2, 6-1 to meet the top-seeded team of Bradley Cano and Kaleo Hauata of Waimea.
Cano and Hauata, a 6-0, 6-0 winner over the Kaua‘i duo of Regie Negrillo and Michell Evans, advanced by defeating the No. 3 seeded pair of Marcus Pereira and Riley Saiki, 6-1, 6-0 to meet Harrison and Matsuda.
In the finals, the top-seeded Cano and Hauata prevailed over the young Warrior pair, 6-1, 6-4.
“I should be pleased,” said Cayaban following his loss to the Harrison pair. “This is the first time I’m playing and to advance this far, I might continue to play.”
The top-seeded team of Shalyn Jim and Kaycee San Agustin-Nordmeier of Waimea took three sets to defeat the No. 3 seed pair of Aprill Oo and Alex Obert of Island School, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Earlier, the Jim and San Agustin-Nordmeier pair opened with a win over fellow Menehune Kayla Ishida and Caylee Yamamoto, 6-2, 6-2 before taking care of the No. 4 seeded team of Joy Claypoole and Madison Moore of Island School, 6-0, 6-1.
The Oo and Obert pair opened with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Kaua‘i’s Maricar Bersamira and Stefanie Gushikuma before getting past the No. 2 seeded team of Kara Higa and Taylor Anama of Kapa‘a, 6-1, 6-2.
One of the more intense matches was in the finals of the boys singles when top-seeded Jerik Ceneno of Kaua‘i battled Davis Huffman, No. 2 seed, of Island School. Frustrated by minor bouts of rain, which, at one point halted play, Centeno prevailed, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8).
Centeno opened with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kapa‘a’s Matt Steinorht before getting past No. 3 seed Kalani Murakami of Kapa‘a, 6-2, 6-2.
Huffman opened with a 6-0, 6-0 win over JR Quilos of Kapa‘a before eliminating No. 4 seed Manix Wolman of Island School, 6-4, 6-0 before falling to Centeno.
Centeno and Huffman will advance to the Carlsmith Ball HHSAA state tennis championships on the Big Island, May 2 through 4.
Also advancing are San Agustin-Nordmeier and Jim, Cano and Hauata, Tamayose and Barreira.
