JUNE Yu and Gerald Boyer are two steps closer to the mixed doubles championship of the 2021 White Coconut Classic after battling through the preliminary rounds at the American Memorial Park tennis court over the weekend.
Yu and Boyer were among seven other duos that reached the quarterfinals.
On Saturday, they were given a bye and automatically advanced to round 2 where they faced Whit Altizer and Hannah Chae.
Yu and Boyer had power behind the racket and it showed as their quick returns kept their opponents on their toes.
Altizer and Chae equalized with speed and quick reaction time that prolonged the game.
However, as the match progressed, Yu and Boyer remained in control to win the first set, 6-3.
Yu and Boyer continued to strive for the finish as they tightened their defense in the second set. After a series of back-and-forth action, Yu and Boyer sealed victory, 6-1, to advance to round 3.
This time around, Yu and Boyer had a much tougher fight against Eamon Tang and David Kwon.
It was a fairly even match highlighted by several deuces and double faults. But during crunch time, Yu and Boyer finally edged Tang and Kwon 7-6(6).
The win fueled Yu and Boyer’s momentum in the second set. Tang and Kwon fought hard, but Yu and Boyer fought harder en route to a 6-4 victory to secure their spot in the quarterfinals.
Their next opponents are Dong Min Lee and Hoo Wang.
In the other matches, Daniel Kang and Irin Chung will face Cody Shimizu and Edwin Simbulan; Si Woo Lee and Andy Kim will go mano a mano with Min Seoung Kim and Sean Lee; and Wataru Kadokura and Ryan Jimenez will be up against Simon Tang and Sam Ryu.
Gerald Boyer reaches for the return during a Mixed Doubles 2021 White Coconut Classic game Saturday at the American Memorial Park tennis court.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr
June Yu connects the overhead serve during a Mixed Doubles 2021 White Coconut Classic game Saturday at the American Memorial Park tennis court.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr
