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 News from Around Banderas Bay | May 2006 
Sergio Martinez Knocks Off Yan Welffens In Sports Classic Tennis Final
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
In a rematch from earlier this year, 15 year old Sergio Martinez broke the three tournament winning streak of Yan Welffens in the men’s “A” division Saturday at the Canto Del Sol Tennis Club. The match concluded a day of five finals and was clearly the most thrilling of the five. The match went the full three sets and lasted 2 ½ hours in the mid afternoon heat on the inside courts that reached 115 degrees in heat index.
The overall star of the tournament was 12 year old Rebeca Aguirre, daughter of local pro Norberto Aguirre. Rebeca entered two divisions, “B” and “C” and swept to the finals of each division. First up on Saturday was the “C” finals in which Rebeca made rather quick work of Francisco Vallejo, winning 6-1, 6-1. Both competitors had an easy time in the semis, winning 6-0, 6-0 for Rebeca and 6-1, 6-0 for Francisco. Aguirre seemed to frustrate Vallejo with her consistency and steady smart play.
Rebeca then had a short rest and had to face Alejandro Saldaña in the “B” finals. The first set was tight and Aguirre ran her set streak in final sets to three, taking it 6-4. The heat and some fatigue took its toll on Rebeca in the second set as Saldaña won 6-1, evening the match at a set apiece. Alejandro had a tough time in the final set, winning 6-2; the set much closer than the final score, as most games went to deuce. Congratulations to Alejandro and Rebeca, who took home two trophies, playing against the men at only 12 years of age.
The Kid’s final pitted 11 year old Rodrigo Martinez, who is a fixture in the Kid’s finals against his friend and schoolmate, 10 year old Juan Miguel Demucha. Both parents were sitting next to each other in the stands, also close friends. They told me the two play against each other so often that it was kind of just another day, as the two youngsters entertained the early arriving crowd. Rodrigo took the first set 6-3 and built a lead in the second set before a comeback by young Juan Miguel fell just short. Rodrigo took the set 6-4 and another trophy for his already well stocked room.
The Pro-Am has become a very popular event in Puerto Vallarta this year, this being the third played. All finals have had different teams, so the division is wide open and the matchups are the ingredient that makes the difference. Generally the pro that has the better amateur partner tends to have the edge. Polo Martinez, a pro at the Canto Del Sol drew Jorge Joya as a partner and faced Dreams pro Omar Quintanar and amateur partner Hector Venegas. The match was exciting and well played by all four competitors. Torres/Joya won the first set 6-2 with steadier play and headed into the second, which was very tight. The team held off a strong performance by Quintanar/Venegas to take a 6-4 second set and the Pro-Am trophy.
With all matches finished and the crowd growing, Martinez and Welffens took to Court One for the “A” finals. Sergio, the son of Canto Del Sol professional Polo Torres was the home crowd favorite, and being a smaller youngster helped as well as fans tend to root for the underdog. The two opened the match slugging away at shots with precise accuracy and skillfully placed shots. The first set was so tight that it went to a tiebreak, with the more experienced Welffens taking it 8-6.
Instead of letting down after such an emotional and physical first set, Sergio came back with a strong second set victory, winning 6-3. This set up the dramatic third set, with Yan’s winning streak on the line.
The two played even until Welffens broke serve to go up 5-3 and was serving for the set and match. Martinez, with the match close to 2 ½ hours old, hit some spectacular passing shots, as he had done all day and broke back the serve of Welffens, still needing to hold serve to stay in the match. Not only did he hold his serve, he broke Yan once more and served for the match at 6-5. The game was tense and Sergio finally watched a Welffens shot sail long to capture the game, set and championship, in front of a large cheering crowd.
Sergio, who won the previous Pipi’s Pro-Am with Brother Roberto, now has himself ranked second in the “A” division, just behind Yan. There is a logjam in the “A” rankings after the top two. After the match, Welffens offered congratulations and was extremely tired due to the heat and superb play of Martinez. Another great tennis day in Puerto Vallarta in the 13th Annual Sports Classic!  Click HERE to see event photos. |
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