Ashraf, Heo win big in Fiji

Young guns Kanani Ashraf and Ji Hoon Heo had a blast in the first day of competition at the ITF Pacific Oceania Junior Tennis Championships in Lautoka, Fiji, both winning the first two matches thrown at them.

Coming off a solid performance in the recent Verizon Tennis Cup, Ashraf looked sharp in her tournament debut last Tuesday, beating Tanine Harris of Nauru in three sets in the girls 14-and-under division.

Ashraf showed toughness in the opening set, edging Harris 6-4, before faltering in the second set 4-6.

The 11-year-old Ashraf—youngest player in the tourney—shifted momentum back to her corner and unleashed a furious charge in the final set en route to shutting down her Nauru counterpart, 6-0.

Later in the day, Ashraf breezed over Akanesi Fa of Fiji in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-2.

Heo, for his part, dominated in his boy’s 14-and-under division opening match against Uere Katang of Kiribati and strolled to an easy 6-4, 6-2 victory.

He then followed up his performance with another straight sets victory over Theo Rex of Fiji.

Heo was in control in the early goings against Rex and quickly made his presence felt with a 6-0 win.

Rex, however, refused to go down easily and challenged Heo in the second set, taking him to the limit, but Heo had just enough juice in him to prevent a third set with a 7-6 (4) win.

Also representing the Commonwealth, Tim Quan, who placed fifth in last year’s tourney, fought off an early deficit and turned the tables on Loketi Crewe of Tonga for a three-set win in the boy’s 18-and-under class.

Quan and Crewe engaged in a tough showdown, matching each other in the first set until Crewe managed to seal a 7-6 (3) win. Like Heo, Quan would redeem himself in the second set as he took charge and blew past Crewe, 6-0.

Another intense battle took place as both remained determined to pull ahead. Quan, however, would nail clutch shots down the stretch of the match and left victorious with a 7-5 win.

Quan tried to continue his success against Chris Toli of American Samoa later in the day, but was overpowered and lost 0-6, 0-6.

Also, veteran Mayuko Arriola had a tough draw and dropped both her matches.

Arriola, who finished sixth in the girls’ 14-and-under division last year, suffered a heartbreaking loss in her opener, losing to Maeva-Leigh Iro of Cook Islands.

After dropping the opening set, 3-6, Arriola bounced back and showed signs of life with a 6-3 win. Iro, however, managed to put the match away with a 6-3 clincher.

Arriola was then outplayed by Rowena Konofilia of the Solomon Islands in her second contest, 1-6, 0-6.

The four NMI netters left Saipan last Saturday to take part in the prestigious event. They join forces with players from Guam, Nauru, and Kiribati in representing the Northern Pacific.

Other countries in the tourney include Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, and Tonga.

The tourney concludes this Saturday, Aug. 21.