DFS Micronesian Tennis Championships set

Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association is bringing back the CNMI’s longest ongoing tennis tournament.

The 23rd annual DFS Micronesian Tennis Championships will be held on May 21 to 23 and May 29 to 31. This year DFS will host the event at two venues, as tennis courts at Pacific Islands Club hotel and American Memorial Park will both be utilized.

The tournament entry site will be at the PIC courtside. All players must report there for venue, court assignment and tournament entry fee payment. While the bulk of play will be scheduled at PIC, organizers expect that the number of entries will result on an overflow of matches some of which would be scheduled at AMP. In the event of rain delays AMP would also be used for reset matches.

Tournament entry fee is certainly the most attractive feature offered, according to NMITA spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Ashraf. The fee will include entry for each category; waterpark pass at PIC for each day of play per entrant, a free DFS T-shirt for the first 150 entrants, a sumptuous beachside picnic banquet, a raffle draw which features many tennis items, and also prizes donated by PIC.

The DFS sponsored event will feature action in the men’s singles, senior men’s singles, women’s singles and junior singles, as well as in the men’s doubles, women’s doubles, junior doubles, and mixed doubles categories. This year, the tournament committee recognized a new category—the men’s 4.5.

The DFS is the longest running annual tennis tournament in the CNMI and maybe one of the oldest continuing sport events on island. It has long been a choice for family tennis buffs as well as it always features some of the island’s best competitors.

Expected this year will be international entrants from Japan, Korea, Guam and Tinian. Some of the islands best competitors like Jeff Race, Todd Montgomery, Faheem Ebrahim and former island champion Eli Buenaventura, who is now playing in the over forties category, are also expected to play in the tourney.

Upcoming juniors entrants expected are Nicolas Son, the recent 18-and-under champion in the UMDA CNMI National Junior Tournament, and Mayuko Arriola, the reigning 14-and-under girls champion.

Some additional excitement coming in from off island will be Kana Aikawa, who has been playing for the University of Hawaii, and may challenge in both the men’s and women’s categories. Aikawa grew up on Saipan and developed her skills on the island’s public courts as well as the tennis school conducted by her former coach Jeff Race.

Tournament directors are Dr. Muhammad Ashraf and co-director Delia Johnson, both are long-time supporters and active tennis players. The tournament referee overseeing the application of International Tennis Federation rules will be Jeff Race.

Entry forms can be picked up at the front desk of World Tour and Travel, front desk and information bar at PIC, Las Vegas Discount Golf & Tennis and at the AMP tennis courts.