Carol’s journey to Grand Slam event

Left photo shows the then 7-yeard-old Carol Lee returning a shot to her foe during a practice match at the American Memorial Park tennis courts. At right, Lee makes a forehand return to South Korea’s Sohyun Park during their first round match in the 2019 Australian Open Juniors at the Melbourne Park in Australia last Saturday. (Contributed Photo)

Proud father, Dong Min Lee, recalled how Carol’s journey from the American Memorial Park Tennis courts to the Melbourne Park—the venue of the Australian Open—started.

“She was only 5 when I started to bring her to the AMP court. While I was playing tennis with the adults, she was there with the other kids at the AMP playground, having fun. Then one day, she asked me if I could teach her how to play because she wanted to play tennis, too,” Dong Min said.

Once Carol learned the basics, Dong Min approached other players at the AMP courts if they could have a match with the father-and- daughter pair. They obliged, always welcoming the Lees, even though Carol was just a beginner, committing one error after another in every game.

Twelve years later, that 5-year-old newbie managed to play at the Melbourne Park for a Grand Slam event where the world’s tennis superstars showcase their talents in front of throngs of adoring fans.

“Until now, I could not believe that Carol can one day play in a Grand Slam event, as she was just curious about the game back then. I would like to thank all the players at the AMP courts for giving Carol the opportunity to play with them even though she was not that good back then. They helped make Carol a very good player. They are part of Carol’s successful journey,” Dong Min said.

“In Korea, if you approach an adult or a very good player, they will not let you play with them, especially if you are new to tennis. At AMP, they are very welcoming— they are family. We are very lucky to have the AMP courts where we can play for free and bring our kids and teach them to play,” he added.

Carol’s father also acknowledged the following individuals for helping her daughter compete in off-island tournaments, particularly in the ITF Juniors: Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association’s Jeff Race, Oceania Tennis Federation president Cyrille Mainguy, ITF technic director Dermot Sweeney, ITF Pacific Oceania Training Center director Roxanne Clarke, ITF development officer to Pacific Oceania Gary Purcell, and ITF development manager (tennis center) Frank Couraud.

“Without these people from ITF and support from NMITA, Carol will not be able to go to ITF Juniors and compete in a Grand Slam event for the first time,” Dong Min said.

Lee added that playing in ITF Juniors event taught Carol a lot and she hopes that his daughter will use her last season in the circuit to reach her full potential.

“Even though Carol is in the Top 200 in the world (No. 152), she can still improve more. I know she wants to really push herself, but she does not want to sacrifice her time with school. She also wants to get good grades, so it’s very challenging for her to do school and training at the same time,” said Dong Min.

Carol is attending an online school after receiving a scholarship from the ITF Pacific Oceania Training Center in Fiji.

‘Feeling like a pro’

Carol earned a chance to play in the singles main draw of the Australian Open Juniors Championships after winning a pair of matches in a qualifying tournament last week.

Then in the first round of the main draw, she was paired against world No. 21 and South Korea’s Sohyun Park, winning a set before eventually losing the closely fought match, 1-6, 7-5, 4-6, last Saturday. After a slow start, Lee raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set and showed some nerves in the homestretch after Park momentarily grabbed the driver’s seat, 5-4, to escape with the win.

In the third set, the CNMI player fought back from 0-4 down and threatened her highly favored foe, 4-5. Lee continued her aggressiveness in the deciding set, but the South Korean regained her lost ground to avoid the former’s upset axe.

The Lee-Park match was played right next to the Rod Laver Arena—the venue of prime matches in the pro field of the Australian Open. They were on Court 22 of the huge Melbourne Park.

“Playing in the Australian Open Juniors was a huge new experience for me. It felt like I was a professional player on a court where big crowds were watching me and there were line guys and ball kids. It was so professional,” said Lee, the first CNMI player to have played in a Grand Slam competition.

“People were curious where I am from and my coach told me some people in the crowd were asking where the CNMI is. So, I was happy I got people interested in my country and I am happy that I get to introduce my small island to the big world. I feel so proud and I want to fight for every point to win and keep going,” said the 17-year-old, who was also scheduled to play in the doubles event yesterday.