More Jr. ITF events await Lee

Carol Lee, seen here competing in an ITF Juniors event on Saipan early this year, will be off-island anew next month to participate in more ranking tournaments. (Contributed Photo)

After her successful campaign in the 2016 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji, CNMI junior tennis player Carol Lee is not done yet for this season.

Lee, the girls U16 singles and doubles champion in the POJC, will be competing in ITF Juniors ranking tournaments in Oceania, Africa, and Asia, and will be attempting to join the US Nationals (U16) in December.

“I am back and will be staying on Saipan until Sept. 17 before I return to Fiji and train again there for a week,” said Lee, who left the island early May and just came back last weekend after getting the ITF/OTF Pacific Training Centre–Summer Scholarship and seing action in a series of ranking tournaments in Fiji and New Caledonia.

After her training at the ITF/Oceania Tennis Federation facility in Lautoka, the 14-year-old Lee will go to New Zealand for a couple of tournaments. From New Zealand, she will then head to Morocco for a tournament at a clay court and a two-week training session.

“From Morocco, I will go home and stay on Saipan for two weeks before heading to the Philippines for an ITF Juniors event,” said Lee, who is enrolled in an online school because of her travels and competitions this year.

The CNMI player will go for as many ITF Juniors ranking points she could take from these off-island competitions to have a chance for a wild card entry in the US Nationals before the year ends.

“My goal is to get into the Top 300 at the end of the year,” said Lee, who as of Aug. 22 is ranked at No. 488 and got her highest ranking at No. 443 on July 4.

Lee has a combined 110 ITF Juniors ranking points, getting 100 in singles and 40 in doubles.

“I am very excited for my upcoming tournaments. I would love to experience all these high-level tournaments,” Lee said.

She will start her bid for more ITF Juniors ranking points after dominating this year’s POJC. Lee was undefeated both in the U16 singles and juniors events of the annual tournament, winning all her eight matches in the singles en route to back-to-back championships in the division. She did not lose even one set in the singles and also went 2-0 in the doubles (with Isabel Heras). In the POJC team event, she was flawless, too and led the North Pacific Team to the championship in girls U16 age group.

“POJC was good for me. The matches were not that difficult, but they gave me the opportunity to practice more and try new tactics and plans,” Lee added.