Record number sign up for Fall Classic

Tennis is pretty much alive in the CNMI and proof of this is the record number of entrants to this weekend’s 2008 Fall Classic Junior Tennis Championships.

Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association vice president and longtime CNMI national tennis coach Jeff Race is overjoyed with the turnout for this year’s youth competition.

“We have 62 entrants. A new CNMI record for a junior-only event!” he said in an email to the Saipan Tribune.

A total of nine players will duke it out in the boys’ 18-and-under singles led by Tinian tennis sensation Benjie Decena. Brothers Andy and Nathan Nutting are also entered in the age group.

The girls’ 18-and-under, meanwhile, will only have five players bannered by Pacific Oceania Junior Championships veterans Thea Minor and Theecel Minor.

The boys’ 14-and-under has the most number of sign-ups with a total of 20 entries. Favored in the age group are POJC teammates Rafael Jones and Christian Miller. Out to spoil their finals aspirations are Chris Cajigan, Angelo Jones, and Jake Lee.

Like the older girls division, only five participants are entered in the girls’ 14-and-under with Negahr Rastguiy and Ilia Corella expected to compete for the title.

Sixteen players have signed up for the boys’ 10-and-under with Carl Dela Cruz and Colin Ramsey the most promising.

Gabrielle Race and Adele Hudkins, meanwhile, headline the seven-player girls’ 10-and-under age group.

The 2008 Fall Classic Junior Tennis Championships will be held on Veteran’s Day Weekend—Nov. 8, 9, and 11.

The tournament will adopt a Compass Draw format, where each competitor is afforded the opportunity to play the same number of matches whether they win or lose. This results in every player but one in each event set to win at least one match and the last match will be between two players with similar skill set and ability.

As this is the first event in several months, Race said that matches played will be one “pro-set” to eight games in the 18 and 14 divisions, and one regular set to six games in the 10 and under.

This year’s Fall Classic Junior Tennis Championships is sponsored by Tan Holdings Corp.

Last year, North Pacific veterans Ji Hoon Heo and Mayuko Arriola topped the boys’ and girls’ 18-and-under, while Jake Lee and Thea Minor took care of business in the 13-and-under category. The 9-and-under, meanwhile, saw Quentin Ramsey and Emily Jones take home the championships.