LaHunn, Hannah close out campaign in Sri Lanka

CNMI junior netters LaHunn Lam and Hannah Chae showed a lot of promise during their stint with the Pacific Oceania Team in last week’s 2023 ITF World Teams Competition Asia/Oceania Pre-Qualifying Events in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Lam finished the tournament with a 5-2 record, including a perfect 3-0 in doubles matches against players from Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Yemen, and Macau.

Chase, meanwhile, closed her Sri Lanka trip with a win against Macau’s Emma Hoi Tung Ieong to salvage a 1-5 record against players from Malaysia, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, and Macau.

Despite his stellar performance, Lam wasn’t entirely satisfied with how he played in the South Asian country.

“I’m not happy about my performance in singles matches. I was distracted and lost my concentration. Although I had some injury issues, I could have played better if I was focused fully. I think I got a little more pressure this time because it’s a team competition. I should play well for Pacific Oceania,” he said in a social media message to Saipan Tribune. 

The 13-year-old did acknowledge that there were things to celebrate during his weeklong play in Sri Lanka.

“Me and my partner, Junior (John Kennedy Taufuna) won our doubles matches against Lebanon, Bangladesh, and Macau. Excitingly, they are the best moments in Sri Lanka and I have learned to never give up until the end of the match.” 

As to the lessons he learned in the 2023 ITF World Teams Competition Asia/Oceania Pre-Qualifying Events, “I need to work on having more tournament experiences to play the same even under a pressure with a warrior’s mindset. Coach Jeff (Race) has been telling me to set my mind as a fearless warrior, also I have to take care of my body better to prevent injuries,” he said.

Chae was very appreciative of the opportunity to play against the region’s best in Sri Lanka as well as represent the CNMI and Pacific Oceania.

“First of all, it was a very good experience for me to play in a big tournament. The big highlight for this tournament is to play on a clay court that I’ve never played on. I got a lot of new friends from other countries too,” said the 13-year-old from Saipan Community School.

She also thanked Pacific Oceania 14-and-under coach Raynal Singh for making her a better tennis player, adding that she became a better singles and tennis player during the tournament. 

Race, for his part, couldn’t hide his excitement for Lam’s future in the sport.
“Honestly for me LaHunn was the most talented player in the tournament. He needs more competitive experience. He probably had less than any player there.”

Race, who coached the boys 14-and-under Pacific Oceania team, said Lam played every day but the last day against Bangladesh when he had a toe injury. His ward’s best singles performance was against Yemen. 

“He played really well in that match. From my perspective I don’t think that there were any players at the competition that were more talented than LaHunn, but he needs more competitive experience in order to beat some of them. Also our boys team, LaHunn included, really dominated in doubles every day since Day 2. We were 5-1 in doubles beating everyone except Kyrgyzstan.”

And Lam did all these while nursing injuries, according to Race.

“On Day 4 his teammate finished his match against Yemen, also winning 6-1, 6-3. I was looking around for LaHunn and they said he had gone to the physio. I went there and LaHunn was laid out on the bed looking pretty bad. Blood was everywhere on his face and hands. There was a paper cup with about four ounces of blood in it on the floor. He’d had about the worst nosebleed I’ve seen. I explained to him that if he didn’t play we would forfeit the match.” 

Pacific Oceania couldn’t change players at that point under the rules, so Race asked Lam if he could just put on his shoes and wash up and see how he felt. 

“He was a little wobbly as he walked out to the courts. The other boy wasn’t there yet. I suggested that he just take out his racket and have a few swings to see how he felt… On Day 5 he had a toe injury from a hangnail but played and won. He didn’t play great but his opponent wasn’t feeling well and eventually retired. On Day 6 (last day) his toe had become infected and pus was coming out so he didn’t play,” said Race.

As for Chae, the CNMI sports hall of famer and CNMI national tennis coach, said he only heard good reviews from Singh. 

“Coach Raynal Singh from Fiji was with the girls. He had a lot of good comments about her performance and effort on the court. Sometimes the No. 4 player barely gets a chance to play but Hannah played every day. I think she was able to play two singles and four doubles matches.”