Friday’s action brought lots of excitement and some big upsets. Lots of tennis to be played on Saturday to decide the finals.
On February 2-4, International School of Kuala Lumpur hosts the IASAS Tennis Championships. Some matches will be streamed on livestream.com/iskl. See what’s streaming by checking ISKL’s main channel, ISKL2 or ISKL3.:
Helpful links to follow the action:
- Game Schedule for 2012 IASAS Tennis
- The Court Schedule for all games being played prior to the finals.
- The Roster for the teams.
- Boys Results as of Friday Evening.
- Girls Results as of Friday Evening.
And here are the team pictures!
We’ll be adding to team photo galleries throughout the weekend. Please visit the photos from:
Jakarta International School
International School of Bangkok
Singapore American School
International School of Kuala Lumpur
Taipei American School
International School of Manila
Day#2 Ends: SAS upsets ISM in Boys 3-2; Both can clinch rematch for finals; ISKL on outside looking in.
When most of the participants had cleared out after a long, rain-delayed day in the KL Tennis complex, high drama resulted in an SAS upset over previously undefeated ISM. The Bearcats entered the match in great shape, having only lost 1 of 15 previous matches. But they were quickly put on their backs when the Eagles won the #2 and #1 Doubles by identical 8-4 scores. It came down the single matches. When the #3 single match went final with a dramatic 8-6 victory by Stefan Kingsley from SAS, the fate of the Bearcats was sealed. Eagles Spencer Koh & Cillian Leow are undefeated in the #2 Doubles and a victory over JIS tomorrow morning will clinch all-Tournament Honors. James Lunsford & Hanson Cho for the #1 Doubles defeated ISM’s Lewis (Trey) Flowers & Gonzalo (Gino) Roque IV, and now will face JIS’ #2 Doubles for a chance at All-Tournament Honors. With all three pairs at 3-1, tomorrow morning will be crucial.
ISKL will woe the tiebreaker rules if the results remain. ISM, SAS and ISKL all have 3-1 wins with ISKL having defeated SAS, ISM defeating ISKL and SAS knocking off ISM. With 6 match loses between the three tied teams. , ISKL loses out, and ISM and SAS will clinch places in the finals if ISM can defeat 2-2 ISB Saturday morning and SAS can defeat 0-4 JIS. Truly every match matters, and tomorrow will bring more pressure as ISKL will be hoping for an upset on the other side of the draw, while they try to take care of business against 1-3 TAS.
ISB is assured of at least a spot in the consolation finals, and will have a shot at 3rd place against whichever of the three teams does not make the finals.
Saturday morning will also provide some exciting drama for All-Tournament. ISB’s Jack Melhorn and ISM’s Joachim Samson are both undefeated, and tomorrow morning’s draw will result in the incredible IASAS honor of All-Tournament for #1 Singles. It should be a big match between hard hitting servers and strong return players as both hope to bring their best efforts.
In the #2 Singles, Daniel Um from ISM can clinch All-Tournament with a win tomorrow, as he finishes the first two days with a 4-0 record.
For the #3 Singles, it may come down to games lost as Stefan Kingsley from SAS, Jayden Alcock from ISKL, and Mike der Hartog from ISB all have 3-1 records. If all can win their matches against other opponents tomorrow, it looks like Mike der Hartog could take away all-Tournament by the slimmest of margins. In the matches between the three, he has a one game advantage for the tiebreaker over Jayden Alcock of ISKL (15 games won; 10 games lost vs. 14 games won; 10 games lost).
Day#2 Ends: Chaos Reigns on Girls Side; ISM in Lead, but SAS, ISB, TAS all have shots at the finals.
It was a dramatic day of tennis for the Girls’ side of the bracket with lots of action. About the only thing that is settled after a long Friday was that JIS and ISKL will face off for 5th & 6th place in their morning match.
In a topsy-turvy day, after ISM shocked TAS in morning play, they cruised to victory over ISKL to enter Saturday at 4-0. But thanks to SAS’s dramatic victory over TAS, an ISM loss against SAS tomorrow morning could knock ISM out of the finals thanks to the uncertainty of a tiebreaker. In short:
- ISM Girls at 4-0 can clinch a place in the finals with a victory over 3-1 SAS
OR
with a loss by 3-1 ISB
OR
with a loss AND a win by ISB AND being top 2 in a 3 way tiebreaker of 4-1 teams. - SAS Girls can clinch a place in the finals with a victory over ISM
OR
with a loss AND a 2-2 TAS win AND by winning a 3 way tiebreaker between 3-2 teams. - ISB Girls can clinch a place in the finals with a victory over TAS AND a ISM victory over SAS
OR
with a victory over TAS AND a SAS win over ISM AND winning a 3 way tiebreaker between 4-1 teams. - TAS can clinch a place in the finals with a win AND an ISM win AND winning a 3 way tiebreaker between 3-2 teams.
Confused? You bet! Don’t agree? Add comments at the bottom to help sort out the possibilities! In any regard, it’s going to be intense, exciting day of tennis on Saturday! After the chaos of the morning settles, the afternoon finals will continue to provide lots of intensity, incredible victories and horrible heartbreaks.
In just one example of a host of exciting matches, Stephanie Slaven battled Stephany Yang in a #1 Singles match that can only be described as epic. After starting outdoors, the pair moved inside as a result of the rain. Billed the battle of the Stephanie(y)’s, it was filled with lots of long rallies from the baseline with the two hard-hitting #1 Singles turning a match into a marathon. Battling back from 0-3 and 2-5 deficits, Ms. Slaven managed to earn a hard fought victory in a match that provided lots of cheering from both teams.
Building on that intensity, there will be lots of enthusiasm continuing into Saturday. All-Tournament honors is just one part of the puzzle. In #1 Singles, ISM’s Jasmin Tan-Ho is 4-0 entering tomorrow’s matches. SAS’ Margaret Anne Smith is also undefeated in #2 Singles, and Annie Mao from TAS can clinch all tournament for #3 Singles with a victory. But a loss against 3-1 Tarini Arte will open the door for Tarini and 3-1 Lianne Admopoulos from SAS.
In Doubles, both ISM pairings of Joy Yuen & Stephanie Guest and Sarina Samson & Dili Aeschliman will take their undefeated 4-0 records against SAS Doubles teams.
Lots of excitement in store for Saturday. Be sure to tune in from ISKL’s live broadcasts.
* It should be noted that there is a glitch in the Final Friday Results. #2 Singles Annie OuYang (TAS) defeated Jimmi Terry (JIS), 8-1 but the results are currently not populating correctly. This will only matter if a 3 way tiebreaker is necessary for figuring out 2nd, 3rd and 4th seeds. We will try to update and correct the results for Saturday.
Friday morning: ISM Bearcats in magical run.
Friday morning had the tennis complex abuzz with action and energy as the ISM Bearcats showed some amazing resilience and great tennis as both the girls and boys prevailed over previously undefeated foes. On the girls’ side of the bracket, TAS had not dropped a match in their first 10, but it was a close 2-2 final going into the #1 Doubles match between Joy Yuen & Stephanie Guest (ISM) and Stephanie Pang & Joyce Yu (ISB). Pressure was on both squads as the winner would claim the team victory and would come one step closer to claiming the top seed in the tournament. TAS raced to a 7-3 lead and looked to have the match in control before Joy & Stephanie had a comeback for the ages. Breaking their opponents twice, they came back to tie the score at 7-7 and then dominated in the tiebreaker earning a 8-7 (8-3) victory.
On the Boys side of the bracket, the Bearcats finally dropped their first match, but at 14-1, they are still dominating the tournament. Against previously undefeated ISKL, the Bearcats took the #1 and #2 singles matches, and both double matches were closely contested. With Jayden Alcock defeating Javier Rara in the #3 Singles, it was the only blemish for the Bearcats in a 4-1 victory over the host Panthers.
With afternoon action still to come – and lots of action on the final day (Saturday), tennis will continue to be a big part of the talk.
Day #1 Ends: ISM Boys Class of Tournament; Face Undefeated ISKL next.
Thursday came to a close at the end of Day #1 with ISM Boy Bearcats cruising to an undefeated start in all areas of the tournament. In the first ten matches, ISM Boys are undefeated, and only two opponents have gotten more than 4 games in the first to 8 single set matches. With a perfect 80 games won, opponents are only averaging 3.2 games against the might Bearcats. Having dispensed with JIS and TAS, next up is are the undefeated hosts. ISKL matches ISM’s 2-0 record in the first day, but it was close 3-2 victories against both ISB and SAS. It has been the magic of the two pairings for the host Panthers as the #1 Doubles, Arvin Simba & Wilem Boterman won both their matches, and the #2 Single player, Rayan Heerjee is also undefeated, as he seeks to best his brother’s record of being all tournament as both a junior and senior. Rayan, only a sophomore, has his work cut out for him as Friday morning he will face off against Daniel Um, ISM’s #2 in what will likely give the victor the All-Tournament honors for the #2 Singles.
The Singles will tip off on Friday morning at 8:30 between the undefeated rivals, with the Doubles happening simultaneously on the outdoor court.
Finishing off the bracket after Day #1, ISB holds the #3 position with a narrow 3-2 victory over SAS who falls in 4th. TAS & JIS are both winless, with only 22 ten-thousands of a place separating their win-loss ratio. But they will settle that battle on the court when they face off. Both will be looking to score an upset to get back into medal contention.
Day #1 Ends: TAS Girls dominating; ISM keeps pace and is next.
At the end of the first Day, TAS had a perfect record with undefeated ISM lurking next. Taipei rolled to a perfect 10-0 record as they dismantled JIS and then ISKL. ISM had a slightly tougher time, but is also undefeated. The Bearcat girls edged ISB 3-2 before defeating JIS 5-0. Friday morning will bring lots of action from the indoor stadium as these two titans will battle for an inside track at the top seed. Though there is a lot more tournament action to come, it is clear that Friday morning’s showdown could be a precursor of the finals.
ISB edged SAS 3-2 to currently hold the third seed, but there is a lot more tennis to be played. And trying to scrape their way into the medal round will be the host Panthers and JIS. Neither have been able to win a match. If neither the Dragons nor the Panthers are able to break through on Friday, their Saturday morning matches will be a de-facto playoff for 5th place.
A busy day comes to a close with lots of action still to come.
Thursday Afternoon: ISKL Boys, ISM Boys Undefeated.
Thursday was a big day for the host ISKL Panthers and the ISM Boys, both of whom earned hard-fought victories in their Thursday matches. As of 5 pm, The Bearcats of ISM are the class of the tournament on the Boys side. With a 5-0 victory over JIS in the morning, and a 4-0 lead over TAS in the afternoon, ISM is looking very strong on the first day of play. Matthew Sicat & Emmanuel Bengzon, playing in the #2 Doubles won 8-3 in their morning match and 8-4 against TAS in the afternoon. In the singles draws, #2 Daniel Um and #3 Javier Rara are on their way to try and achieve all-tournament status with wins in their first two matches. With 9 matches under the belt, the Bearcats have yet to feel defeat.
After a tough morning victory over ISB (see update below), the ISKL Panthers again eeked out a 3-2 victory, this time over SAS. The Panthers proved a bit more than the Eagles could handle. With a 3-2 victory, ISKL will have a showdown with ISM Friday morning as the victor will hold the inside path for gold, or at least a place in the finals. But with less than half the matches finished, it will be a tough finish. Please click on the Results above to get the latest scores. Also tune into www.livestream.com/iskl for live broadcast and highlights.
Thursday Afternoon: TAS, ISM, SAS Girls Start Strong on Day #1.
With lots of Girls’ action still to take place, TAS, ISM and SAS were off to good start on Day #1. After sweeping JIS in morning action (see below), the Annies of #2 and #3 singles, Annie OuYang and Annie Mao swept their ISKL opponents. Between the two Annies, they’ve only dropped one game out of 4 total matches. It’s still possible ISKL could rally down 0-2 against Taipei, but given the convincing start for the day, it is not likely.
ISM also started strong with a close victory over ISB. ISM won both double matches behind #2 Doubles, Sarina Samson & Dili Aeschliman and #1 Doubles, Joy Yuen & Stephanie Guest, but dropped the #2 and #3 Single matches as ISB’s Nancy Pakdivong defeated Regina Rovira 8-5 and ISB’s Tarini Arte defeated Laetitia Herold 8-3. But all doubt was swept away when the Bearcats #1 Single, Jasmin Tan-Ho, won a convincing 8-1 victory.
Leaping to a 2-0 lead against JIS behind the victories of Sarina Samson & Dili Aeschliman (#2 Doubles) and Laetitia Herold (#3 Singles), ISM is well on its way to entering the second day of action undefeated.
We’ll continue to provide updates as the action progresses.
Thursday Morning: SAS Girls, TAS Girls roll in early action.
In early action SAS routed ISKL in the girls part of the draw while TAS rolled over Jakarta. Singapore Eagles came to play as Stephanie Slaven and Margaret Anne Smith dominated in identical 8-0 victories in #1 and #2 singles. The 5-0 sweep was closely contested in the #2 Doubles match when Nattasja Suri & Amy Yuan defeated ISKL’s Riho Yuura & Alara Saygi in a dramatic 8-7 match that was only settled in the tiebreaker. In the other two matches, #3 singles, Lianne Admopoulos from SAS defeated ISKL’s Anne Chua 8-3.
Taipei also won in convincing fashion against JIS. The #1 Doubles, #2 and #3 single players all won by 8-1 or 8-0 score lines. The closest thing to drama was in the #2 Doubles as TAS’ Erica Chen & Pooja Mukund defeated Anchal Vasandani & Allegia Wirjawan 8-6. As of this post, the #1 singles match had not completed, but Taipei secured a victory with victories in the first 4 matches.
ISM and ISB were more evenly matched with ISB winning the two singles matches and ISM taking the doubles with two matches still to play. The girls will move indoors for most of their afternoon matches. Follow all the action on ISKL’s broadcast channel.
Thursday Morning: ISKL Boys edge ISB Boys, SAS takes down TAS to start the tournament.
Thursday morning, the host ISKL Panthers got off to a great start in Boys’ Tennis. ISKL edged ISB 3-2 in Boys action with the doubles teams taking the lead by winning both matches 8-4. In the #1 doubles match, Arvin Simba & Wilem Boterman jumped up two breaks against Laurence Neale & Alex Taubert from ISB. Laurence and Alex fought back a break and had triple break point in a chance to even the match. Somehow Arvin managed 5 straight points to escape that hole, and the Panthers never looked back, winning 8-4.
ISKL’s Martito Warjanto & Justin Yap also pulled away to an 8-4 victory over Phillip Kim & Ryota Nishimaki. Tito and Justin dominated on the serve, never even facing a break point. ISB’s #2 doubles struggled time and time again to hold serve, and were broken twice in what was the difference in the match. Simultaneously, on court #B, ISKL’s Jayden Alcock lost a heartbreaker to Mike der Hartog as each held serve until Jayden needed a game to force a tiebreaker at 6-7. Mike was able to break serve and earn a 8-6 victory.
In the #2 Singles, Rayan Heerjee coasted to a 8-2 victory as his brother cheered him on from Georgia, who watched the livestream broadcast.
SAS also managed some dramatic wins against TAS in later action. Both Doubles teams pulled away at the end, with the #1 pair of James Lunsford & Hanson Cho getting a late break to seal the deal against a heartbroken Dennis Chang & Darren Hou. Both teams held serve until the final 3 games, when three breaks settled the match.
In the marathon match of the morning, the #3 singles was a roller coaster of emotions and long rallies as neither opponent wanted to make a mistake. Stefan Kingsley won a 8-7 (7-4) victory. After giving up a 5-2 lead, he fought off four match points and two must-win games to force a tiebreaker. He then rolled from down 3-4 to the final 5 points over a hard-working Rohan Sinha.
