Gora upsets Kaloi to win
ILH girls tennis crown
Except for a major upset by an upstart freshman seeded second, it was a day for No. 1 seeds at the Interscholastic League of Honolulu tennis championships at Central Oahu Regional Park yesterday.
Freshman Kalei Gora of St. Francis pulled off a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 stunner of top-seeded Heidi Kaloi of Kamehameha to claim her first ILH girls singles championship in the most competitive match of the day.
"I'm just so happy," Gora said. "The player that was mentally tougher out there won today."
The three-set thriller tested both players' mettle as Kaloi -- the No. 1-ranked 18s girls player in Hawaii -- had to fight off cramps in the third set just to keep the match going. But after seeing signs of fatigue and frustration from Kaloi, Gora knew she had a chance for the upset.
"She was higher-ranked and you could tell out there she felt the pressure of it all," Gora said. "I felt good throughout the match and even now, I'm not really tired."
Gora stayed composed on the court. She credited a lot of that to her parents.
"My parents have been so supportive of me, and I just wanted to show them that all their efforts have paid off," Gora said.
Top-seeded Kim Kaloi and Lauren Shin of Kamehameha defeated Kristin Katayama and Julia Sandborn of Punahou 6-3, 6-2 for the girls doubles title.
In the boys singles championship, top-seeded Robbie Lim of Punahou beat No. 2 Derrick Lajola of Iolani, 6-3, 6-1.
The Buffanblu also brought home the doubles championship. Chris Iwamura and Nicholas Leong defeated Marcus Kutara and Reyn Makishi of Saint Louis, 6-4, 6-3.