Heo lone survivor Down Under

CNMI junior tennis player Ji Hoon Heo is the last man standing for the ITF Pacific Oceania Touring Team in the 2009 Victorian Junior Grasscourt Champ.

Heo advanced to the Round of 16 of the boys’ 16-and-under singles division of the tournament being played at the Wodonga Lawn Tennis Club in Wodonga, Victoria, Australia.

The CNMI bet was at the upper half of the 64-player draw of his second tournament Down Under and stunned the No. 9 seed Luke Vicary of Lake Albert, NSW in the first round, 6-2, 6-2.

In the Round of 32, Heo was paired with Ryan Jones and the former cruised to another straight set win, 6-1, 6-1, to move into the Round of 16.

Heo was set to face the No. 5 seed Sean Carson of Wodonga in the Round of 16 yesterday afternoon with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals and meeting either top seed Ethan Scobie or Sam Currie.

Joining Heo at the upper half of the draw was Samoa’s Prince Matautia, who had an early exit in the tournament after bowing to No. 11 seed Nick Wedge, 6-1, 6-2, in the first round.

Heo’s three other teammates were at the bottom half of the main draw with siblings Tony and William O’Connell of Fiji becoming the first casualties on the group losing to Mitchell Gleeson of Natya, Victoria, 3-6, 1-6, and John Meadows of Hawthorn, Victoria, 6-3, 6-0, respectively, in the first round.

The Cook Islands’ Elias Tukarao won his first match beating Russell Rayner of Congupn, Victoria in three hard fought sets, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Solomon Islands’ Luke Paeni also survived his first match topping Ben Coffey, 6-2, 6-3.

But Paeni and Tukarao were booted out in the Round of 32 bowing to No. 14 seed Nicholas Fenaughty, 6-2, 6-1, and, Meadows 6-2, 6-3, respectively.

The tournament in Victoria is Heo’s last in Australia. He and his teammates will go to New Zealand next week to compete in three tournaments.

Heo will be seeing action in tournaments in Canterbury, Auckland, and Wellington.

The CNMI netter was invited to compete in tournaments in Australia and New Zealand after placing second in the boys’ 18-and-under division of the 2008 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji.

His impressive showings in the two tournaments Down Under is a big boost to Heo’s bid to regain his tough form after losing several matches in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines following his nagging ankle injuries.