CNMI jr. players hope to keep momentum

After a mission accomplished in the ITF North Pacific Regional Championships 2015, the CNMI Junior Tennis Team will be focusing on the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships 2015 and hoping to extend its impressive showing in Fiji in August.

The CNMI’s Isabel Heras returns to compatriot Ami Tsukagoshi during their girls U16 singles title game in the ITF North Pacific Regional Championships 2015 last week in Guam. (Oceania Tennis)

The Commonwealth bets topped the girls U12, U14, and 16 singles and doubles and boys U12 singles events of the regionals held last week in Guam, earned runner-up finishes in the girls U12 and U14 singles and doubles and boys U14 singles and doubles, and third in the boys U12 and U14 doubles and girls U12 and U14 singles. Fourteen of the 18 CNMI players who joined the tournament in Guam made it to the semifinals of their respective singles competitions and 14, too got slots to the North Pacific Team that will see action in the POJC. Overall, the Commonwealth has 15 players on the select squad with Carol Lee gaining an automatic spot for ruling last year’s girls U14 singles contest in Fiji.

“I am hoping that Carol will be the first player in the region to win the U12, U14, and U16 singles titles,” CNMI coach Jeff Race said.

Lee, who has been in Fiji since early this month, joining an elite group in the ITF Regional Training Center, bagged the girls U12 crown in 2013 and notched her second and third singles titles last year after beating New Caledonia’s Lea Bolo, 6-0, 6-1, and 7-6 (2), 6-1, in both finals of the POJC 1 and 2 competitions. This year, she is one of the favorites in the girls U16 singles.

Joining Lee on the North Pacific crew are U12’s Conatsu and Coume Kaga, Ericka Tuttle, Seung Jin Paik, and Ji Min Woo; U14’s Robbie Schorr, Vincent Tudela, Keon Song, Mimi Sakano, Asia Raulerson, Malika Miyawaki, and Tania Tan; and girls U16’s Ami Tsukagoshi and Isabel Heras.

“Our players will be training on their own and when I get back early August, I will be working on their training sessions. They have to train harder this time as the POCJ is a tougher tournament. I hope they will remain confident and focus so we can have another strong performance in Fiji,” Race said.

Besides Lee, Race said regionals champions Conatsu Kaga, Tan, and Schorr are likely to make it to the playoffs in their respective age group contests in Fiji.

Conatsu, who ruled both the singles and doubles (with sister Coume) events of the regionals, has a strong chance to finish in the Top 3 in POJC, according to Race, while Tan and Schorr could complete the Top 4.

Conatsu had the highest winning percentage among the CNMI players who saw action in Guam last week. She posted 100 winning percentage in singles matches (5-0) and doubles (3-0) and also tallied 100 percent in sets won/won (16-0 combining singles and doubles). In singles, she won 60 games and gave up only 10, while she registered 36-6 in doubles for the overall percentage of 85.7 (games won/loss).

Tan, who took the girls U14 singles and doubles crown (with Miyawaki) was 60-9 in singles games won/loss for 87 percent and 36-8 in doubles for 81.8 percent and overall percentage of 85 (96-17). She was also unbeaten in eight matches, five in singles and three in doubles and did not give up a single set (16-0). The boys U14 champion Schorr was ranked third with his 69.9 percent (137-59 games won/loss for singles and doubles), had 80.8 in singles (80-19), and recorded 58.8 in doubles (57-40). He was perfect in the singles (6-0) and logged a 3-2 mark in doubles.