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CNMI jr. netters bring home 7 medals
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Posted on Dec 24 2008
CNMI junior tennis players Thea Minor, Christian Miller, and Rafael Jones returned from their three-week stay in New Zealand yesterday bringing home seven medals and an enriching experience.
Minor, a New Zealand second-timer, had the most fruitful stint among the three taking three doubles championships, one doubles runner-up, and two singles runner-up medals.
“It was an awesome experience, as I get to bring home more medals than last year,” said Thea, who had only two medals in 2007.
“I think my first trip to New Zealand really helped me play good games in the 14-and-under division. I had a tougher time in the 16-and-under as I played against players who are taller and stronger than I am. But it was a good learning experience,” the 13-year-old netter added.
Minor teamed up with Fiji Tarani Kamoe in winning the girls’ 14-and-under doubles in the 2008 Coca-Cola Waikato Junior Open in Hamilton East and in the Poverty Bay East Coast Ray White Junior Championship and the girls’ 16-and-under doubles plum in the 2008 Auckland Christmas Tournament at the Scarbro Tennis Centre in Nicholson Park, Mt. Eden, Auckland.
She placed second in the 14-and-under singles in Poverty Bay losing to Kamoe and in the 14-and-under singles in Auckland bowing to 5-foot-7 Louise Oxnevad of Queensland.
Miller also went home with a runnerup medal, as he and partner Robin Morove finished second in Poverty Bay. Miller was also a runner-up in the boys’ 14-and-under singles consolation draw.
The 13-year-old Miller and Jones are first-timers in New Zealand with the latter failing to get a medal, but won eight matches in three tournaments, and held his ground against Australia and New Zealand players.
“Those players can hit five times as harder as our players do here and they are taller and faster. It was really great playing against them, as you get to see what do you need to work out on your game to get to their level or past them,” said Jones, who was kind of nervous in his first game in Waikato.
“It was a new experience. We traveled for long hours and play right away after only a few minutes of rest. I was kind of slow in the first few matches, but when I get the feeling of the game, I started to settle down,” he added.
