The first day of the Newport Beach Open kicked off with exciting matchups and new partnerships. Tama Shimabukuro delivered one of the big upsets of the day in mixed doubles, while Team Selkirk rolled through their matches to advance to day two.
Shimabukuro eliminates No. 17 seeds, advances across the board
One of the upsets of the day came at the hands of 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro and 18-year-old PPA Australia standout Nicola Schoeman. Making their debut as a team, Shimabukuro and Schoeman took down the No. 17 seeds, Callie Jo Smith and Hunter Johnson.
Both players were steady at the kitchen line and capitalized on key offensive opportunities in crucial moments. Their composure paid off as they secured an 11-8, 8-11, 11-6 victory to advance to the Round of 32. Shimabukuro / Schoeman will face No. 50 Clayton Powell and Christa Gecheva next.
In singles, Shimabukuro took down Pesa Teoni easily with an 11-2, 11-4 scoreline. He will have a big test in the form of Roscoe Bellamy tomorrow on Championship Court.
Sock in top form
Jack Sock got the job done in the Round of 64 today, earning wins in all three events. His biggest improvement as of late seems to be in mixed doubles. Since the last tournament in Mesa, Sock has partnered with Lacy Schneeman, his new MLP teammate, as he joins the Orlando Squeeze. Together, they’ve formed a formidable duo with results to back it up.
Sock and Schneeman breezed past Hannah Blatt and newcomer Luc Pham, needing less than 20 minutes to secure an 11-0, 11-1 victory. They’ll face Jessie Irvine and Jay Devilliers in the Round of 32.
In singles, Sock moved past No. 60 seed Miles Hoover to set up a clash with Selkirk Sparta Pro Anouar Braham.
Sparta Pros keep it going
Sparta Pro Rafa Lenhard advanced to the singles and men's doubles Round of 32. The No. 18 seed in singles defeated the hard-hitting Edward Perez to move on with an 11-4, 11-2 win. Lenhard will take on the crafty Dylan Frazier in the next round.
In doubles, Lenhard is pairing up with Tyler Loong in their first tournament together. They defeated qualifiers Eduardo Santini Ayon and Joel Poland in two games, 11-5, 11-9. Lenhard and Loong now move on to face the tough team of AJ Koller and Noe Khlif.
Sparta Pro Anouar Braham begins his men's doubles campaign in the Round of 32 as the No. 15 seed alongside Rafa Hewett. The duo will take on Michael Loyd and Carlos Di Laura.
Kunimoto moves on
Kiora Kunimoto's strongest event right now is singles, and she'll look to kick off her Newport Beach run today against qualifier Hilary Toole. If Kunimoto earns the win, she will likely face Lea Jansen for the second time in just a few months.
In women's doubles, Kunimoto is pairing up with her good friend Chloe Igleski. Their first match of the tournament will be against the No. 10 seeds, Brooke Buckner and Kate Fahey. Kunimoto has played Buckner many times in singles, with their most recent meeting going Kunimoto’s way.
Tune in
Catch all the action from Newport Beach on the YouTube livestream!
