Kimberly Kim, seen here at the LPGA Championship in June, is the top seed in match play at the U.S. Girls' Junior at Tacoma Country & Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash., after taking medalist honors in stroke play yesterday. AP library photo | June 2006

Kim, a former Hilo resident, and Stephanie Kono and Ayaka Kaneko, both of Honolulu, each won two matches today at Tacoma Country Club.

After losing the first three holes, Kim rallied to defeat No. 32 Tessa Teachman, 5 and 3, in the second round.

"Usually, I just think, 'If you're going to lose, then just try your best until it's over,' " Kim said in a story at the tournament's Web site. "Because if I lose and I'm playing good, that's okay. But if I'm shooting really bad and then I lose, then I'll feel really bad."

Kim won four consecutive holes, starting with the fourth hole to go 1 up. She then won the ninth and 10th holes with birdies en route to the victory.

It was her second comeback victory of the day. Kim, a 15-year-old now living in Arizona, rallied to defeat Amy Ruengmateekhun, of Garland, Texas, 4 and 3 today in the first round of match play.

Ruengmateekhun, the No. 64 seed, won the first two holes, and after Kim won No. 3, maintained a one-hole lead until No. 8. Ruengmateekhun bogeyed the hole to allow Kim to square the match.

Kim took control by winning No. 10 with a par. She went 2-up by winning No. 12 and made consecutive birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to end the match.

Kim is the top seed in match play after taking medalist honors in stroke play yesterday. She faces No. 48 Mary Michael Maggio, of Conway, Ark., in the round of 16.

Kono, seeded No. 25, beat No. 40 Stephanie Kim of Bayside, N.Y., 1-up and No. 8 Alexis Thompson, 12, of Coral Springs, Fla., 3 and 2, to advance. (See separate story.).

"Alexis played great but I think she just made a couple mistakes and I just capitalized on those mistakes," Kono said. "I played the same way when I was 12 years old."

Kono faces No. 24 Maria Uribe of Colombia tomorrow.

Kaneko, seeded No. 51, defeated No. 14 Felicia Espericueta of Edinberg, Texas, 2 and 1, and No. 46 Wonjoo Choi of Korea, 4 and 3. Kaneko plays No. 3 Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., tomorrow. Harigae won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links title last month.

Kahului's Elyse Okada, seeded No. 44, defeated No. 21 Cheyenne Hickle of Gilbert, Ariz., 4 and 2, then was eliminated by No. 53 Tessa The, of Los Altos, Calif., on the 19th hole in the second round. Okada had a chance to win the 18th hole but her birdie putt stopped an inch short of the hole. The birdied the 19th to win.

Honolulu's Cyd Okino, seeded No. 38, lost her opening round match to No. 27 Tiffany Lua of Rowland Heights, Calif., 3 and 2.

The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be played tomorrow. The 36-hole final is scheduled for Saturday.

The U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, a United States Golfers Association tournament, is open to amateur players 17 and younger who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4.

The original field of 156 players was cut to 64 after two rounds of stroke play.