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17 jr. tennis players to join POJC
Maria Gregoire goes for a backhand return during her and Asia Raulerson’s girls U14 doubles game against the Federated States of Micronesia’s Isabel Garcia and Anne Skilling in the 2016 North Pacific Regional Championships held last week at Kanoa Resort course. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
With 14 junior players making the grade in the 2016 North Pacific Regional Championships, the CNMI will have 17 representatives to the 2016 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji in August.
Robbie Schorr, Ken Song, Tony Kim, Sean Lee, Malika Miyawaki, Asia Raulerson, Conatsu and Coume Kaga, Marie Gregoire, Ji Min Woo, Seung Jin Paik, Marielle Lopez, Michael Ren, and Vincent Tudela qualified for the POJC. They will suit up for the North Pacific Team after finishing in the Top 4 of their respective singles competition in the regional tournament Saipan hosted last week.
Schorr topped the boys U14 singles, while Song, Kim, and Lee were ranked second to fourth. Miyawaki ruled the girls U14 singles after beating Raulerson in the finals, while Conatsu and Gregoire rounded out the Top 4. Woo and Paik gave the CNMI the No. 2 and 3 finishes in the boys U12 singles, while Coume reigned supreme in the girls division, and Lopez placed fourth. Ren was the runner-up in the boys U16 singles, while Tudela came in at third.
Carol Lee, Isabel Heras, and Tania Tan will join the 14 qualifiers in the POJC, as they gained automatic slots in the tournament after their strong performance in the same competition last year. The three Commonwealth bets will be playing in the girls U16 singles and with their outright entry to the North Pacific Team, Grace Choi and Mimi Sakano, who finished second and third in last week’s contest, missed the cut. Sunshine Palik of the Federated States of Micronesia took the last slot on the North’s U16 girls crew after winning over Choi in the finals last weekend.
With the CNMI spearheading the North Pacific Team and being beefed up by the top players from Guam, Palau, and FSM, Commonwealth coach Jeff Race believed the squad will perform well in POJC.
“We have a great North Pacific Team and there will be quality competitions in the U14 and U16 singles and doubles,” Race said.
“I am glad we have CNMI players competing in the boys U16 in POJC this year. They did well in the North Pacific qualifying and I hope they will continue to improve when they play in Fiji,” the CNMI coach added.
