ISLE FILE
Arnoult in tennis quarters at Beijing
Advertiser Staff and Wire
Beth Arnoult won her second-round wheelchair tennis match yesterday at the Paralympics, upsetting No. 6 Marie-Annick Sevenans of Belgium, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, in Beijing.
Arnoult, a 42-year-old from Pa'ia, Maui and seeded 20th, trailed 4-1 in the third set. She rallied to tie it at 4-4 before taking the match.
"I was so excited, I couldn't believe it," Arnoult, playing in her first Paralympics, said in an e-mail. "I then had the honor of sending some tennis balls up into the stands and the crowd went crazy. A couple people stopped me on the way out of the stadium asking me for my autograph."
Arnoult, the top American player the past two years, advances to today's quarterfinals to face No. 4 Jiske Griffioen of the Netherlands.
Arnoult and partner Kaitlyn Verfuerth, seeded fourth in doubles, play Lucy Shuker and Jordanne Whley of Great Britain in the doubles quarterfinals today. Arnoult and Verfuerth had a first-round bye.
GOLF
LYNCH TRIUMPHS
John Lynch of GolfTec Honolulu shot a 1-under 71 to claim a one-stroke victory over Ron Castillo Jr., of Puakea Golf Club yesterday in the Aloha Section PGA Stroke Play Championship at the Princeville Makai Course.
Lynch had a 54-hole total of 11-under 205. Castillo finished with a 72 for a 206 total.
In the Senior Division, Lance Taketa of Hilo Municipal Golf Course shot a 72 for a 214 total to win the Senior Division by four shots over Navy Marine's David Chin 68—218. Rodney Acia was the Super Senior champion with 71— 225.
Also yesterday, Castillo captured the Aloha Section PGA Professional Championship, beating Lynch with a birdie on the 10th hole of a sudden death playoff.
Both were tied after 36 holes at 10-under 134.
Castillo, Lynch and John Hearn of KMR School of Golf will represent the section at the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship, June 28 to July 1, 2009 at Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
SURFING
SLATER OUSTS GARCIA
Hawai'i surfers Sunny Garcia, Bruce Irons and Roy Powers were eliminated from the Boost Mobile Pro men's contest yesterday.
The third and fourth rounds were run yesterday in 2- to 4-foot waves at Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif.
Florida's Kelly Slater, currently ranked No. 1 on the World Championship Tour, defeated Garcia, 17.0-14.67, in a third-round heat.
Bruce Irons lost in the third round to Australian Jay Thompson in part due to a broken surfboard. Powers lost to Australian Kieren Perrow in the third round.
They were the only Hawai'i surfers remaining in the contest, which is the seventh of 11 stops on the 2008 World Championship Tour.
ABUBO ADVANCES
Megan Abubo of Waialua was the top scorer in the first round of the Billabong Girls Pro Rio women's contest yesterday.
The first round was run in inconsistent 2- to 3-foot waves at Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Abubo's two-wave score of 14.65 was the best total of the day. She received scores of 7.5 (out of 10) and 7.15 for her two best rides.
Melanie Bartels of Wai'anae lost her first-round heat, and will surf in the second round, where eliminations begin.
The contest is the fourth of eights stops on the Women's World Championship Tour.
