Doubles to start CNMI Junior Championships

The 2009 CNMI Junior Championships will start the first weekend of competition in the annual tournament with doubles matches in four divisions at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

Four preliminary games in the girls’ 18-and-under division will be played today, while also set on the first day of the tournament are eight games in the boys’ 12-and-under age group. Action in the boys’ 18-and-under and girls’ 12-and-under doubles will begin tomorrow.

Games in the boys’ 12-and-under division will be played first at 3:30pm, while matches in the girls’ 18-and-under doubles will start at 5pm.

Eight pairs are entered in the boys’ 12-and-under division, namely the tandems of Carl Dela Cruz/Chris Cajigan, Rafael Jones/Kui Lee, Aaron Lee/Jake Lee, Quintin Ramsey/Dylan Ackerman, Tommy Choi/Colin Ramsey, Kennedy Izuka/Chris Park, Clayton Izuka/Alex Park, and John Cano/Jordan Butcher.

In the girls’ 18-and-under division, Jodel Fernandez is pairing with Jean Bracken, Ilia Corella is teaming up with Amy Arenovski, Melody Johnson is joining forces with Dina Jones, and Thea Minor is partnering with sister Theecel.

Siblings Rafael and Angelo Jones have Nathan Nutting and Clay McCullough-Stearns as their partners, respectively. Nathan’s brother Andy will play with Daniel Park, while Christian Miller will team up with Daniel Camacho.

In the girls’ 12-and-under division, the pairings are Gabrielle Race and Neghar Rastguiy, Adele Hudkins and Alina Ishikawa, Emily Jones and Tammy Ackerman, and Mikayla Lopez, and Julia Ishikawa.

Championship games in the four age groups will be played this Sunday.

Next weekend, Northern Mariana Islands Federation will hold the singles competition in the CNMI championships.

The singles tournament offers 1.5 times the regular ranking points, which will be crucial in determining players who will represent the Commonwealth to the boys and girls’ 18-and-under and 14-and-under competitions in the North Pacific Qualifying Tournament in Guam in June.

In the boys’ 18-and-under division, Woo Suk Chang leads 14 other players with his 2,250 rankings points. Tinian’s Benjie Decena has earned 2,000 for second place, and is followed by Sung Hoon Ham (1,200), James Camacho (1000), Andy Nutting (850), Joseph Jang (650), Calvin Yang (500), Russell Buenaventura (500), Bradley Brostom (400), Min Seok Kim (300), Ji Hoon Ham (250), Sung Jin Kim (200), Min Suk Kim (200), and R.J. Aquino (150).

In the girls’ 18-and-under, Thea is ahead with her 2,500 points. Jodel Fernandez is at second with 2,150, followed by Theecel Minor (1,500), Lila Mailman (100), and Dina Jones (500).

Rafael Jones is currently on top in the boys’ 14-and-under division with his 3,500 ranking points, but not far behind at second place with 3, 250 is Miller. Round off to the Top 5 are Cajigan (2,000) Jake Lee (1,950) and Lucas Nutting (1,700).

In the girls’ 14-and-under, Rastguiy occupies the No. 1 spot with her 3,150 points, followed by Corella (2,900), Arenovski (1,900), Bracken (1,900), Johnson (1,000), Hudkins (1,000), Alina Ishikawa (500), Lopez (300), and Gemmalie Eugenio (250).

In last year’s NPQ in Guam, NMITA sent four players in the boys’ 18-and-under, and three in the girls’ 18-and-under. In the boys’ 14-and-under, CNMI also had four entries, while only three Commonwealth bets played in the girls’ 14-and-under.