Top seeds Jobe, Chong win state tennis singles titles
| • | Complete list of results |
 |
 |
| Punahou's Ikaika Jobe won his second state boys singles tennis title in three years, defeating Tyler Black of Kamehameha. | Iolani senior Tracie Ann Chong defeated Hawai‘i Prep’s Michelle Pautler for the state girls singles tennis championship. |
| Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser | |
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
Digging down deep to find his championship form, Punahou School senior Ikaika Jobe came from behind to beat Kamehameha junior Tyler Black, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, in the finals of the Carlsmith Ball State Tennis Tournament yesterday.
Iolani senior Tracie Ann Chong defeated Hawai'i Prep sophomore Michelle Pautler, 6-2, 6-2, to win the girls singles championship. In the boys doubles final, Punahou's Bucky Jencks and Chris Iwamura defeated Kealakehe's Nainoa Depontes and Michael Chan, 6-4, 7-6 (3), and in the girls doubles final, Kamehameha's Janalle Kaloi and Kim Kaloi beat Iolani's Noelle Lee and Miclynn Crail, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
Punahou won the boys team title with 22 points, and Kealakehe came in second with nine points.
Iolani, with 18 points, won the girls team title and Kamehameha (7 points) finished second.
Jobe, who won the title as a sophomore before concentrating on national tournaments last year, overcame some nerves and Black's quick serve to win the match before a home crowd of about 300 at Punahou's courts.
"I was nervous in the first set," Jobe said. "After winning it as a sophomore, there was a lot of pressure to do it as a senior. Everybody thought I would just cruise through it."
Punahou's Chris Iwamura, left, and Bucky Jencks won boys doubles.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Black, who lost to Jobe in four previous meetings, made sure this one would not be easy. He broke Jobe's serve to start the match and did not allow a point in that game, then held serve to go up, 2-0. Jobe evened it at 2-2, but Black won the next two games to go up 4-2. Black then held serve twice to win 6-4.
"He barely missed any shots," Jobe said. "It caught me off guard."
Black, who also admitted he was nervous, said he used the extra energy to fuel his game.
"I was really energetic," Black said. "I was feeding off the crowd's energy."
In the second set, however, Jobe picked up his energy and won the first four games. Black broke serve to close to 1-4, but Jobe won his serve back, and eventually won 6-1.
"I knew he was going to step it up; he's such a good player," Black said. "He was moving way faster and making all his volleys. He has a lot of experience, he knows how to play through the tough points."
The players split the first four games of the third set, then Jobe broke to win the fifth. He held to go up 4-2 and came back from 15-40 to break in the seventh, then held for the match.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Jobe also had to fight through tendinitis in his right (serving) shoulder, an injury that has lingered all season.
Janalle Kaloi (left) and Kim Kaloi of Kamehameha are the girls doubles champions.
"It stayed strong through the match," Jobe said. "I probably could have hit my serve harder, but I wanted to play it safe."
Jobe, who spent the fall semester at a Van der Meer tennis academy in Hilton Head, S.C., said his second state title is even more significant than his first.
"It was a big decision for me to come back," said Jobe, who will attend St. Louis University on a tennis scholarship next fall. "I wanted to be a part of this team again, and I wanted to win this."
Chong, who will attend UNLV on a tennis scholarship next fall, used steady play to beat Pautler.
"I think that was the key," Chong said. "She had good serves and good ground strokes, but I just had to stick in there and play aggressive."
Chong lost in last year's finals after making it to the semifinals as a sophomore.
"I played a lot better this year," she said.
Boys
Team
1, Punahou 22. 2, Kealakehe 9. 3, Kamehameha 5. 4, Mililani 4. 5 (tie), Castle, Farrington, Kaua'i, Pearl City, Seabury Hall, St. Louis 1.
Individual
Singles championship
Seeds in parentheses
(1) Ikaika Jobe (Punahou) def. (6) Tyler Black (Kamehameha) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Third Place
(3) Dru Kanuha (Kealakehe) def. (5) Robbie Lim (Punahou) 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-2.
Doubles championship
(1) Bucky Jencks/Chris Iwamura (Punahou) def. (2) Nainoa Depontes/Michael Chan (Kealakehe) 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Third Place
(4) Sean Jobe/Ryan Laws (Punahou) def. Jeremy Perron/Joel Maeshiro (Mililani) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
• • •
Girls
Team
1, Iolani 18. 2, Kamehameha 7. 3, Hawai'i Preparatory Academy 5. 4 (tie), Baldwin, Kaua'i 4. 6, Mililani 3. 7 (tie), Campbell, Hilo, Leilehua, Pearl City, Punahou 1.
Individual
Singles championship
(1) Tracie Ann Chong (Iolani) def. (3) Michelle Pautler (Hawai'i Prep) 6-2, 6-2.
Third Place
(2) Mariana Lee (Iolani) def. (4) Krystal Hangai (Mililani) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Doubles championship
(1) Janalle Kaloi/Kim Kaloi (Kamehameha) def. (3) Noelle Lee/Miclynn Crail (Iolani) 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
Third Place
(2) Tiana Lum-Tucker/Kareen Konishi (Kaua'i) def. (4) Lauren Matsushita/Jenna Umeno (Baldwin) 6-4, 6-3.
