Rastguiy makes semis of New Zealand tourney

CNMI junior player Negahr Rastguiy got off to a good start in her New Zealand trip after barging into the semifinal round of the 2011 Waikato Christmas Junior Open.

Rastguiy, who left Saipan last week for three tournaments in New Zealand, completed the girls U12 singles event played at the Waikato Tennis Centre in Hamilton and began her bid with a 6-2, 6-2 win over the unseeded Olivia McCormack in Round 2 last Saturday.

The 12-year-old CNMI bet, who was seeded first in the 30-player field and drew a bye in the first round, then faced Sophie Michi in the quarterfinals last Sunday and prevailed anew, 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the semifinals against No. 4 seed Victoria Hockley. In the semis last Monday, Rastguiy saw her winning run end when Hockley pulled off a 6-2, 6-4 triumph. Second-ranked Janvhi Clark went on to win the girls U12 singles crown after sweeping Hockley, 6-3, 6-2, while Rastguiy shared third place with fellow North Pacific player Ayana Rengiil of Palau.

In the doubles division, Rastguiy and teammate Vinda Teally of the Solomon Islands are still in contention. The second-seeded pair was at the lower half of the draw and drew a bye in the first round. The tandem was scheduled to meet Ellen Ashley and Ruby Owen last Wednesday, but results were unavailable at press time.

Rastguiy is a member of the Pacific Oceania Touring Team that will participate in tournaments in Hamilton, Gisborne, and Auckland. The New Zealand trip was Rastguiy’s second in a row and in last year’s competition in Waikato, she made it all the way to the girls U12 singles finals before bowing to seed Nina Paripovich, 2-6, 1-6.

In his return trip to Hamilton, Rastguiy also joined the girls U14 singles and won her opening match against Samanta Oliver, 7-5, 6-1. The CNMI netter dropped her second round match over No. 12 seed Charlotte Booth, 5-7, 1-6, to fall to the loser’s bracket where the former managed to march into the semis.

In the consolation draw, Rastguiy defeated Ashley Gorrell, 6-1, 6-1, and Ayesha Horley, 3-6, 6-4, 10-4, for a semis ticket. In the Final Four, Rastguiy bowed to No. 9 seed Anastasia Tapusoa in three tough sets, 4-7, 6-4, 9-11.

Rastguiy also joined the girls U14 doubles and partnered with Rengiil. The duo won against Kelani Chene and Ruby Coffin in the first round, 3-6, 6-3, 10-6. In the second round, Rastguiy and Rengiil led over top-ranked Clark and Ella Hassall, 3-0, but retired, awarding the seeded pair the win. The match report did not indicate the reason for Rastguiy and Rengiil’s retirement.

After the tournament in Hamilton, Rastguiy and company will head to Gisborne for the 2011 Poverty Bay East Coast Junior Open. Then the group’s last stop will be Auckland for the 2011 Auckland Christmas Tournament.