Schorr, 3 others unbeaten in Fiji

Robbie Schorr, seen here stretching for a return, is still unbeaten in the 2014 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships that is being played in Fiji. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Last year’s U12 singles finalist Robbie Schorr led the list of undefeated players after a hard-earned victory over Kiribati’s Banien Ioera. Schorr survived Ioera in an extended first set, 7-5, before falling in the second, 1-6, stretching the match to a deciding third set. In the rubber match, Schorr and Ioera went back-and-forth with the CNMI bet finally escaping with an 11-9 win to improve to a 2-0 record and take the solo lead in Group B. Ioera dropped to a 1-1 slate for a tie for second and third place with Samoa’s Phillip Warren, while Tonga’s Sigi Palelei, who lost to Schorr in Day 1, is in last place with a 0-2 slate. Schorr faces Warren today to close out his pool play assignments and a win will seal the former’s spot to the playoff round.

Besides Schorr, Malika Miyawaki, Carol Lee, and Luther Lizama also gained 2-0 records in their respective divisions after yesterday’s matches to boost their playoff chances.

Miyawaki won her all-CNMI duel against Conatsu Kaga, 6-0, 6-2, to take the top spot in Group C of the girls U12 singles. Kaga fell to a 1-1 record for a tie for second and third place with Vanuatu’s Rosalie Molballeh. Leafine Cronin of Samoa completes the field and she will be Kaga’s last opponent and a victory will move the CNMI bet to the next round. Miyawaki, on the other hand, is assured of a playoff slot and will go for a pool sweep today against Molballeh.

In the girls U14 singles, the top-ranked Lee bagged her second consecutive straight set win after dominating American Samoa’s Michelle Miller, 6-0, 6-2. Lee is on top of Group A and eyes a sweep today when she collides with Fiji’s Namratta Nand, who is winless after two games.

In the boys U14 singles, the fourth-ranked Lizama pulled off an upset over the third-seeded Mason Caldwell of Guam. Lizama crushed Caldwell in the opening set, 6-1, and as leading at 3-0 when the latter retired due to exhaustion. With the victory, Lizama grabbed the solo lead in Group C and zeroed in on a playoff berth.

In other results, the two CNMI bets who lost their opening games last Monday bounced back yesterday. Asia Raulerson defeated Vanuatu’s Marion Hymak, 6-0, 6-2, to improve to a 1-1 record and stay in playoff contention in the girls U12 singles. To advance to the next round, Raulerson must stun the top-ranked Naia Guitton of Tahiti today. Guitton is unbeaten in two games to lead Group A, while Raulerson is tied for second and third with Samoa’s Eleanor Schuster.

In the girls U14, Julia Ishikawa came back from her opening loss to Lee with a 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Nand. Ishikawa now has to beat Miller in the last pool play game in Group A to join Lee to the playoff round.

Meanwhile, Ken Song and Tania Tan missed their bids for perfect records in Day 2, while Colin Ramsey is still looking for his first win.

Song bowed to top seed Gilliam Osmont of Tahiti, 0-6, 1-6, to drop to a tie for second and third with Vanuatu’s Samuel Strid in Group A. Song and Strid square off today with the winner moving into the next round of the boys U12 singles. In the girls U14, Tan fell to Vanuatu’s Emma Maucotel, 2-6, 1-6, and is pressed to beat Fiji’s Vienna Kumar today to keep her playoff chances. In the boys U16 singles, Ramsey is now 0-2, following a 2-6, 1-6 defeat at the hands of the second-ranked Kevin Maukloa of American Samoa. Ramsey tries to barge into the win column in Group B today when he meets Fiji’s Shivneel Chand, who is also searching for his first win after dropping back-to-back games.

Doubles results
Doubles matches in the POJC started yesterday with Kaga partnering with Cronin in downing Fiji’s Saoirse Breen and Hymak, 6-3, 6-1. Kaga and Cronin are now in the semifinals of the girls U12 singles and will challenge the top-ranked pair of Guitton and Schuster in the upper bracket semis. In the lower bracket, Miyawaki and Raulerson lost to New Caledonia’s Leilani Ipunesso and Molballeh, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 10-7. Molballeh and Ipunesso will face second-ranked Crystal Christman of American Samoa and Tahiti’s Lea Lamorelle in the other semis pairing.

In the girls U14, Ishikawa and Tsukagoshi eliminated Samoa’s Tyra Loulanting and Nand, 6-1, 6-3, to march into the semifinals against Fiji’s Ruby Coffin and Maucotel. Lee and Tan are also entered in the girls U14 doubles as the top-ranked pair and collide against New Caledonia’s Lea Bolo and Kumar in the other semis match.

In the boys U14 doubles, Lizama partnered with his Day 2 opponent—Caldwell—and the North Pacific duo endured Kiribati’s Benjamin Kourabi and Vanuatu’s Ben Pechan, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) to gain semis entry against the top-ranked team of Samoa’s Harley Cronin and American Samoa’s Larry Maglasan.