10 CNMI players make POJC grade

Colin Ramsey, seen here competing in the 2014 White Coconut Tennis Classic in February at the AMP tennis courts, earned a slot on the North Team that will play in the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji this August. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The islands’ U14 players Tania Tan, Julia Ishikawa, and Ami Tsukagoshi leads the list of Commonwealth belts earning slots to the POJC and suiting up for the North Pacific Team. Joining them are fellow U14 player Luther Lizama, U12’s Ken Song, Robbie Schorr, Malika Miyawaki, Conatsu Kaga, and Asia Raulerson, and U16’s Colin Ramsey.

Tan won the U14 singles crown in the regional championships, beating Ishikawa in the finals, while Tsukagoshi prevailed in the battle for third place against another CNMI player Mimi Sakano. Tan was undefeated in five matches in the singles event, did not drop a single set (10-0), and held a 61-12 win-loss (games) record for an 83.6 winning percentage. She is also perfect in doubles, teaming up with Ishikawa in ruling the event. Ishikawa registered 4-1 (matches won/loss), 8-2 (sets won/loss) and 55-22 (games won/loss) records, while Sakano logged 3-2, 6-5, and 46-50 slates.

Miyawaki duplicated Tan’s title win in the girls U12 singles, holding a flawless 5-0 mark, 10-0 sets win-loss mark, and 60-12 slate (games) for a winning percentage of 83.3. She defeated Kaga in the finals and later partnered with the latter in conquering the doubles crown. Kaga finished the singles competition with 5-1, 10-2, and 69-22 records, while Raulerson submitted 4-2, 8-4, and 52-35 marks.

Schorr completed the CNMI a sweep in the U12 singles when he topped doubles teammate Ken Song in the finals. Schorr was unscathed in eight games and did not lose any single set (out of 16), finishing the tournament with an impressive 96-12 record (88.9 winning percentage), the best mark in the entire field. Kong ended up with 6-1, 12-2, and 75-29 records.

In the boys U14, Lizama made the cut when he downed the Federated State of Micronesia’s William Joab in the consolation match. Though he missed the championship, Lizama, who earned a 7-1 marches won-loss mark and 15-2 sets won-loss card, still held the best game percentage in his division after tallying a 96-28 record (77.4 percent). Winner Mason Caldwell of Guam had a 68.5 percentage (100-46), while runner-up Camden Camacho submitted 71.1 (98-10).

Lizama then managed to bring home the U16 doubles championship when he paired with Ramsey, who placed runner-up in the singles event after losing in the finals to former CNMI player Chris Cajigan. Ramsey finished the singles event with 5-2 and 9-5 slates and had a winning percentage of 62.7 (69-41).

“The CNMI Team’s match record for this year is 72-12. Our players did a great job and showed we are No. 1 again in Micronesia,” said CNMI coach Jeff Race.

“Some our top players did not make it to Guam due to school commitments and those who made it stepped up and somehow got out of the shadow of our top players, proving that even they are ranked fourth or fifth in the CNMI, they are still better than the rest of Guam, FSM, and Palau players,” Race added.

The 2014 Pacific Oceania Junior Championship will be held this August in Fiji.