Rastguiy reaches doubles finals in NZ

CNMI junior player Negahr Rastguiy capped her New Zealand trip with a finals stint in the U12 doubles division of the Tennis Auckland 2011 Christmas Junior Tournaments at the Nicholson Park.

Rastguiy teamed up with Fiji’s Mulan Kamoe and the Oceania ITF Touring Team bets won three straight matches to march into the finals. The duo first took on New Zealand’s Melenia Kaitaeifo and Sylvie Ruahe and prevailed after only two sets, 6-1, 6-1.

Next up for the visitors were the third-seeded pair of Victoria Hockley and Alysha Nowacki and again Rastguiy and Kamoe only needed two sets to thwart their foes, 6-1, 6-2, and advance to the semifinals.

In the semis, the Oceania ITF Touring Team members were paired against fellow unseeded duo Isabelle Coman and Samantha Oliver, who barged into the Final Four after a walkover win against top-ranked Janvhi Clark and Nina Paripovich. Rastguiy and Kamoe went on to secure the finals berth at the upper half of the 15-team draw after another straight set victory, 6-1, 6-0.

The second-seeded pair of Victoria Hartland and Tiana Windbuchler took the finals seat in the lower half draw after posting wins over Aimee Bell and Aki Shimahara, 6-0, 6-0; against Kelani Chene and Vinda Teally, 1-6, 4-5 (retired); and versus No. 4 pick Olivia Gillard and Caitlin Ward, 6-4, 7-6 (7).

In the championship game, Hartland and Windbuchle easily clinched the first set, 6-2. Then in the second set, Rastguiy and Kamoe played their hearts out before bowing in a close game, 5-7.

Rastguiy also joined the girls U12 singles division in Auckland and won her opening match in the 40-player field against Isabelle Coman, 6-1, 6-2, before losing to No. 3 seed Paige Alter in three hard fought sets, 3-6, 6-4, 7-10.
The CNMI junior netter was scheduled to participate in the girls U14 singles and doubles, too, but was forced to withdraw due to a neck injury.

The tournament in Auckland ran from Dec. 17 to 23 and Rastguiy left New Zealand before Christmas. She is now in Korea with family members and will return to Saipan on Jan. 4.

Before competing in Auckland, Rastguiy also made stops in Hamilton and Gisborne. She advanced to the semifinals of the girls U12 singles and quarterfinals of the doubles events in the 2011 Waikato Christmas Junior Open in Hamilton. Then in Gisborne for the 2010 Poverty Bay East Coast Junior Open, Rastguiy played in the girls U14 singles finals.