Rain delay plagues 1st week of SIS tourney

The reflection of players of the SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament is seen on the rain-soaked surface of the American Memorial Park tennis court yesterday moments before Week 1 of the competition was called off.(MARK RABAGO)

Chants of “rain, rain go away” didn’t help as the 2023 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament will need another weekend to conclude the junior portion of its competition at the American Memorial Park. 

The annual sports fundraiser for the Saipan International School’s student council endured stop-and-go scenarios the entire weekend, forcing organizers to continue the finals and semifinals of the divisions to Week 2 when adult netters take the spotlight. 

In the boys 18, top seed David Kwon will face second seed Wataru Kadokura in the finals.

Kwon advanced after beating Jack Linden in the semis, 6-0, 6-1. Kadokura booked a ticket to the championship round after defeating Daniel Kang via walkover.

No. 1 seed Yabin Shin will then take on No. 2 Seiyul Hong in the girls 18. The former advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Seohee Lee, while the latter won by the same score against Olivia Wang in their own semis tiff.
In the boys 16, making it to the Final Four are top seed Simon Tang, Nason Wessel, Cody Shimizu, and June Yu.

Tang got a bye in his first round assignment, while Wessel outlasted Siwoo Lee, 6-7, 6-1, 10-6. Shimizu was a 6-3, 6-1 victor over Henry Choi, while Yu also had a bye in the first round.

Anne Lee leads the girls 15 after beating Hannah Chae, 6-4, 6-1.

In the boys 14, Wessel will take on Yutaka Kadokura and Jhun Park will square off against Siwoo Lee in the semis.

Wessel won against Jai Lee, 6-0, 6-0; Kadokura overcame Taher Shakir, 6-1, 6-2; Park got the better of Kiwon Lee, 6-4, 6-1; while Siwoo Lee beat Ian Chae, 6-3, 6-2.

In the girls 14, Anne Lee, Hannah Chae, and Lina Tsukagoshi are all in a dead heat with 2 points apiece.

Lee so far beat Tsukagoshi, 6-1, 6-1; Chae blanked Stella Choi, 6-0, 6-0; and Tsukagoshi came back from the loss against Lee by defeating Choi, 6-1, 6-1.

Ryan Choi, Michael Jeon, Seungwoo Lee, and Jinho Park made it to the Final Four of the boys 12.

Top seed Choi advanced after winning against Daniel Kang, 6-0, 6-0, Jeon was a 6-1, 7-5 victor against Matt Zhu. Lee edged Haoyang Song, 6-3, 6-4, while second seed Park beat Yoosung Choi, 6-4, 6-0.

In the girls 12, Emma Lang, Jenna Pascual, Chlorie Lee, and Vivian Chung are the last four standing.

Top seed Lang got a bye in the first round, while Pascual blanked Scarlett Burrell, 6-0, 6-0. Lee won by the same score against Selina Chi, while second seed Chung also got a free ride to the quarters.

SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament coordinator Serin Chung said Mother Nature didn’t give them any favors in the first weekend of the competition.

“It’s been really difficult because of the rain. Hopefully, we will get to play all the matches next week.”

Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association president Jeff Race, who helps Chung run the tournament, said they tried their best to wrap up the juniors competition through Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday but to no avail. 

“Play for today is finished due to the weather. Any junior matches not played this weekend will be played next weekend, Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday,” he said in the NMI Tennis chat group.