Ackerman makes main draw; 9 others in q’fying tourney

The CNMI’s Tammy Ackerman is in the main draw of the girls singles event in the 2015 IT&E Northern Marianas Junior Championships, while nine other Commonwealth bets will be playing in the qualifying tournament of next month’s Junior ITF event on Saipan.

The CNMI’s Tammy Ackerman gets ready to serve during her and Ayana Rengiil’s doubles game against Tinglak Jittakoat and Gorbua Srisirisupayok in last year’s IT&E Northern Marianas Junior Championships at the Pacific Islands Club hard courts. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The world No. 1,021-ranked Ackerman is among the 22 players who made the 32-player girls singles draw of the tournament that will run from May 19 to 24. She will be joined by Japan’s Ayumi Miyamoto, who is the highest ranked player in the tournament at No. 201, and defending champion and No. 803 Yurie Takanishi. Takanishi defeated Nanaka Takeuchi in a three-set finale last year, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Five other Japanese are entered in the main draw and the list includes No. 523 Ayumi Hirata, No. 575 Ayano Shimizu, No. 768 Runa Ichonese, No. 1,369 Rina Saigo, and the No. 806 Takeuchi.

Meanwhile, the Philippines’ Maia Balce, who is the second-highest ranked player in the field at No. 374, will compete against a bunch of Japanese and fellow Philippines bet Maria Dominique Ong. Completing the initial list of players in the main draw are India’s Akanksha Bhan, Korea’s Eun Se Jang, Hong Kong’s Venua Yeung and Sabrina Mary Woll, Singapore’s Y-Kit Nicole Tan and Ashley Kei Yim, Ukraine’s Maria Natalia, and Australia’s Lisa Mays.

Acceptance list for the main draw wrapped up last April 21 and the 10 remaining slots will be contested by 26 other players in a qualifying tournament. The CNMI’s Mikayla Lopez, Negahr Rastguiy, Isabel Heras, Julia Ishikawa, Ami Tsukagoshi, Malika Miyawaki, Carol Lee, Tania Tan, and Mimi Sakano are among the players vying for the main draw berths.

Rounding the list are China’s Le Zhao, Hong Kong’s Wing Lam, Yuen Tung Liu, Hei Ching Ng, and Kwan Wu Man, Palau’s Ayana Rengiil, Japan’s Nagomi Higashitani, Yuki Naito, Ayu Sugiyama, Rina Motegi, Funa Kozaki, and Yuna Fukumuro, India’s Priyana Kalita, Singapore’s Maxine Ng, Australia’s Mia Katharina Savio, and the United States’ Isis Gill.

Nineteen other players are registered as alternates and could gain entry to the qualifying draw if there will withdrawals. Players in the qualifying tournament could also make it outright to the main draw in case of withdrawals.

The CNMI will be hosting the Junior ITF event for the third time and would like to thank the following for making the competition possible: title sponsor IT&E, Marianas Visitors Authority, Coca-Cola, Hertz Rent A Car, and Oceania Tennis Federation. Next month’s games will be played at the Pacific Islands Club and Kanoa Resort tennis courts.