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Sakano, Kim get top rankings in U14
Mimi Sakano and Tony Kim finished the local junior tennis season on top of the ranking board in the U14 age group.
They secured the top spot in their respective divisions after winning last weekend’s 2015 CNMI Junior Tennis Championships—the final event under the 2014-2015 calendar of Northern Mariana Island Tennis Association.
Kim collected 1,500 for his first place finish in the boys U14 singles and 281 from his runner-up place in the doubles to bring his total in seven events to 3,881. He started the season with 600 points gained from his third place finish in the Tan Holdings Tennis Classic in November last year and added 250, 500, and 750 from the Tan Holdings doubles, Coconut Tennis Classic, and PIC Tennis Championships, respectively.
Kim edged Vincent Tudela, who finished with 3,525 points, and last year’s Top U12 player Robbie Schorr. Schorr is currently in Australia competing for the ITF/Grand Slam Development Fund Team (Pacific Oceania) and missed last weekend’s tournament to end up with only 3,200 ranking points (100 each from his first place finish in the Tan Holdings Classic, Coconut Classic, and PIC Tennis Championships’ singles event and 200 in the Tan Holdings doubles). Tudela had runner-up finishes in the Tan Holdings and Coconut Classic singles (750 points each) third in the PIC and CNMI Junior Championships (500 and 900), and first in the Tan Holdings doubles (250).
Rounding out the ranking list are Ken Song (2,775), Haruya Eda (1,775), Steven Goodwin (1,481), A.J. Hudkins (1,438), Clayton Izuka (1,363), Aditya Rai (825), Jeffrey Seo (575), Hyun Woo Chin (400), Michael Ren (375), Joshua Abragan (350), and Allan Lee (300).
In the girls division, Sakano collected 3,950 to lead nine others. She got her most ranking points in last weekend’s contest, earning 1, 500 for beating Asia Raulerson in the finals. Sakano also won the singles event in the Coconut Classic (100 points), bagged 700 in the Tan Holdings’ singles and doubles, and 750 in the PIC singles.
Raulerson finished second in the rankings with her 2,625 points, followed by Malika Miyawaki (2,150), Conatsu Kaga (1,300), Tania Tan (1,250), Grace Choi (1,250), Julia Ishikawa (1,250), Ami Tsukagoshi (800), Susan Sablan (400), and Coume Kaga (200).
Rankings in other age groups will be reported next week. NMITA uses the rankings as one of the bases for selecting members of the CNMI Junior Team that will compete in the North Pacific Regional Championships in Guam from June 15 to 20.
