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Carol completes unfinished business
Carol Lee, seen here in action during an ITF Juniors event on Saipan this year, redeemed herself in two tournaments in Fiji. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
The CNMI’s Carol Lee accomplished her mission following her back-to-back triumphs in Fiji.
She won the singles event in the South Pacific Open Junior Champions 2018 held from June 20 to 25 and then swept the singles and doubles crown in the Oceania Open Junior Championships 2018 that took place from June 26 to July 1.
When she competed in the same tournaments in 2017, she fell short in her title bid so she returned to Fiji this year with more will to take the championships that eluded her in the previous competitions.
“I’m happy with the win. I played really well in the South Pacific Open and definitely improved after the tournament on Saipan. I had points to defend from last year so I’m happy I got through to the finals again and even better that I pulled through with the win this year. I was quite disappointed with our loss in doubles the day before but I think I made up for it with my performance in the singles finals,’ the 16-year-old player said.
The pair of singles victories in Fiji gave Lee a 3-peat dating back to her title conquest in the 2018 Northern Marianas Junior Championships, which she failed to win from 2015 to 2017. Counting her singles and doubles championships in the Northern Marianas event held on Saipan this May, Lee has gained five titles in the last three months and is looking for more, as she will also compete in the Oceania Closed Championships in Fiji and another ranking tournament in Sydney, Australia next month.
“Those tournaments are a level up so hopefully I can continue to improve and perform well when the time comes,” Lee added.
The CNMI junior player is currently ranked No. 216, moving 20-plus notches higher in the ladder since completing the two tournaments in Fiji. She got 60 ranking points for topping the singles play in the South Pacific Open and 30 in the Oceania Open for a total of 200 singles points. In doubles, she earned additional 25 points for her victory in the Oceania Open, bringing her total to 147. Lee has 236.75 combined ranking points.
