Former ATP No. 771 Le Minh dismantled reigning SCAA Open champion Coenie Van Wyk convincingly to win the CRC Open 2010 men's singles final in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Katherine Ip (ITF 303) continued her march towards a Triple Crown when she defeated Leung Lok Sze, 6-2, 6-0, to win the ladies' open singles title.

American Le Minh, a four-year varsity athlete at Berkeley from 1994-98, had beaten No. 3 seed Jack Hui earlier in round two. His agility around the court and his knack for producing the right shot at the right time was evident in his 4-for-4 break point conversion rate in the final against Van Wyk.

He was also successful in saving the only pair of break points he faced in the entire match when he came from 15-40 down to hold his opening service game.

After both players held authoritatively to take proceedings to 2-2, the left-handed Le Minh then reeled off the next four games to bag the first set, 6-2.

Van Wyk, who usually exhibits a relatively high success rate in the forecourt, was made to dig up nasty, ankle-deep volleys, before he was passed repeatedly at the net.

This, when coupled with the South African's unusually high number of wayward ground strokes, meant there was only ever going to be one winner at the end of the day.

With the score evenly balanced at 2-2 in the second set, the American again broke through and then consolidated the break with a thumping ace in the ensuing game to make it 4-2.

After both players held their next service games, Van Wyk needed to hold serve to remain in the match but Le Minh broke him to love to end the one-sided contest, 6-2, 6-3.

Earlier on Saturday, 15-year-old Katherine Ip won her maiden CRC Open ladies' singles title when she beat Leung Lok Sze, 6-2, 6-0, in the final. Last year, Katherine Ip, the top seed, was defeated by Wu Ho Ching, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, in a highly entertaining affair that could have gone either way.

The men's doubles final saw No. 1 seeds Jack Hui and Jonathan Chu beat second-seeded Jason Lijewski and Sean Cooper in a close match, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Jack Hui and Jonathan Chu broke Jason Lijewski's opening service game and that was enough for the top seeds to seal the first set, 6-4. In the second, a lone break of Jack Hui's serve in the penultimate game was sufficient for the Irish-Australian duo to secure the set, 6-3, to even things at one set apiece.

In the deciding set, servers again dominated proceedings until the pivotal eighth game when Sean Cooper wasted three game points before the top-seeded duo eventually broke him to go up 5-3.

Jonathan Chu, who only faced two break points and never lost his serve during the entire match, then held authoritatively to bag the set and the match, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in a surprisingly swift one hour and forty-two minutes of play.

Jason Lijewski and Sean Cooper were also runners-up in 2009 when they went down in the final against Brian Hung and Jonathan Chu in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Current Hong Kong G18 number one Katherine Ip (ITF 303) dropped a mere seven games during the course of the tournament to capture her first title here when she beat unseeded Leung Lok Sze, 6-2, 6-0, to win the CRC Open ladies' singles title.

Katherine Ip then added the ladies' doubles title to her name when she collaborated with Ki Yan Tung to beat Vivian Lin and Leung Lok Sze in the final, 6-3, 6-3.

Since making her ITF World Junior Circuit debut in October 2008, Katherine Ip has reached the semifinals in girls' singles four times in her career, while capturing girls' doubles titles at this year's Hong Kong ITF Junior Tournament and China Junior I.

Since the ladies' singles event became a part of the CRC Open in 1977, Paulette Moreno remains the youngest winner to date when she captured the first of her four successive titles as a twelve year-old beginning in 1981.

She later won a fifth career ladies' open singles title in 1992.

Having added the CRC Open title to her earlier triumph at SCAA last month, Katherine Ip is now poised to complete the local Triple Crown if she can go on and win next month's HK National title at VP as well.

Over the years, Patricia Hy (1978), Lam Po Kuen (2002), and Wu Ho Ching (2009) were the only players to have won the ladies' open singles title at all three local majors in the same calendar year.

Roll of Honour (1948-2010)

Results
62nd CRC Open Hardcourt Tennis Championships
Chinese Recreation Club, Hong Kong
Oct 23-Nov 28, 2010

MEN'S SINGLES

Final
Le Minh d. (3-4)Coenie Van Wyk 6-2 6-3

WOMEN'S SINGLES

Final
(3-4)Katherine Ip d. Leung Lok Sze 6-2 6-0

MEN'S DOUBLES

Final
(1)Jack Hui/Jonathan Chu d. (2)Sean Cooper/Jason Lijewski 6-4 3-6 6-3

WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Final
(1)Katherine Ip/Ki Yan Tung d. Vivian Lin/Leung Lok Sze 6-3 6-3