CNMI bets secure playoff berths in Fiji

Ken Song and four other CNMI players are assured of playoff berths in the 2016 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships after winning their respective matches in Fiji yesterday. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

At least five CNMI players have clinched playoff tickets in their respective divisions in the 2016 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships after Day 2 pool matches were completed yesterday in Lautoka, Fiji.

One of them was Ji Min Woo, who swept his Group 4 matches in the boys U14 singles after beating New Caledonia’s Robin Seelan, 4-1, 5-4 (4) yesterday. Woo topped his pool with his 3-0 record and will be joined by Seelan (2-1) in the quarterfinals.

Also gaining a Round of 8 berth was Woo’s fellow CNMI player Seung Jin Paik, who finished Group 3 with a 2-1 record after defeating Vanuatu’s Zachary Sands, 4-1, 4-1, on Day 2. The Top 2 players in the four groups were given slots to the quarterfinals, which will begin today.

In the boys U14 singles, players were divided into only two pools and the Top 2 in each group will earn playoffs berths. Robbie Schorr is assured one of the two semis spots in Group 1 as he remained unbeaten after the second day of the competition. Schorr got two more victories yesterday after prevailing against Tonga’s Sigi Palelei, 4-0, 4-1, and American Samoa’s John Paul Lim, 4-0, 4-0, to improve to a group best 4-0 mark. Schorr will go for a sweep today against CNMI teammate Sean Lee, who holds a 2-1 mark and has a chance to get a semis ticket if he upsets the former and Vanuatu’s Samuel Strid (2-1) loses to Palelei.

In Group 2, Ken Song is in second place with his 3-1 record following his victories over Fiji’s Kelese Kofe , 4-2, 4-1, and Abikash Kumar, 4-1, 4-0. Song is likely to join Schorr to the Final Four after winning over Kofe (3-1), who has a tough final assignment in the unbeaten Tahiti player Vaitea Molinier (4-0).

In the girls U14 singles, which also has two pools, either Malika Miyawaki or Asia Raulerson will advance to the semis. The two CNMI players hold similar 2-1 records for second place behind Tahiti’s Lea Lamorelle (3-0). Miyawaki will face Lamorelle and Kiribati’s Carolyn Mwang today, while Raulerson also takes on the latter and Vanuatu’s Desiree Digno.

In other results on Day 2, Carol Lee and Isabel Heras are still undefeated in the girls U16 singles to boost their semis chances.

Lee has a 2-0 record in Group 1 after shutting down the Federated States of Micronesia’s Sunshein Palik, 4-0, 4-0, while Heras has the same mark in Group 2 following her 5-3, 5-3 triumph over fellow CNMI player Tania Tan (1-2).

In the girls U12 and U14 singles, the playoff chances of siblings Coume and Conatsu Kaga depend on the results of today’s matches. Coume holds 2-1 record for second place in Group 2 behind Fiji’s Saoirse Breen (3-0) and Tahiti’s Kira Fong Loi (3-) and the CNMI player has to win over the latter and against Samoa’s Maria Kerslake today to earn a semis ticket. Conatsu also has a 2-1 mark in Group 1 of the girls U14 singles behind Vanuatu’s Rosalie Molballeh (3-0) and Samoa’s Eleanor Schuster (3-0) and must pull off an upset against the latter today coupled with her win over compatriot Maria Gregoire to stay in contention.

In the boys U16 singles, both Michael Ren and Vincent Tudela are out of the running as they are at the bottom of the standings in their respective pools.