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Quan, Taliki bow out Air Pacific doubles
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Posted on Aug 27 2004
After rain delayed much of the action at the 2004 Air Pacific Oceania Closed Junior Tennis Championships in Lautoka, Fiji, the team of NMI netter Tim Quan and Johnson Taliki of the Solomon Islands finally took the hard court of the Dr. Robin Mitchell Regional Tennis Centre in boy’s doubles competition.
Quan and Johnson, who both qualified to see action in the event after each placed eighth or better in the recent 2004 ITF Pacific Oceania Junior Tennis Championships, which concluded last Saturday, faced topnotch players from around the Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand.
The team would bow out of the tournament in the first round, faltering in straight sets to Jason Lee and James Lemke of Australia 0-4, 0-4, but despite the score, were definitely presented with an experience that should improve their game in the future.
The tournament was later won by top seeded tandem of Andrew Coelho and Todd Ley of Australia, who edged fellow Aussies Joel Linder and Brydan Klein in the finale 5-4 (5), 5-3.
The tournament featured 32 participants in both the male and female categories.
Quan, along with fellow NMI hard hitters Kanani Ashraf, Mayuko Arriola, and Ji Hoon Heo were scheduled to return home early this morning on board Asiana Airlines.
Ashraf, Arriola, and Heo also competed and punched in respectable finishes in the other ITF competition, with Ashraf placing fourth and Arriola seventh in the girl’s 14-and-under division and Heo placing fifth in the boy’s 14-and under category.
The four qualified for the event after displaying remarkable performances at the North Pacific Qualifying tournament held on Saipan this past June. The tournament was part of the Pacific Oceania Junior Circuit, which also featured qualifying competitions for the East Pacific, West Pacific, and Central Pacific teams.
