All-CNMI semis in boys U14 singles

Ken Song serves while Robbie Schorr gets ready near the net during the 2016 CNMI Junior Tennis Championships held at the AMP tennis courts early this year. Song and Schorr will meet in the boys U14 singles semis in the 2016 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The CNMI is assured of a finals berth in the boys U14 singles division in the 2016 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships after Top 2 seeds Robbie Schorr and Ken Song prevailed in their respective playoff matches yesterday in Lautoka, Fiji.

Schorr swept Vanuatu’s Warea Tigona, 6-1, 6-2, in the upper bracket quarterfinals to earn a return trip to the semifinals. Song also took only two sets to move into the Final Four, but had a tougher time in the second before eliminating fellow CNMI player Sean Lee, 6-2, 7-6 (7). Schorr and Song, who were the losing semifinalists in the same division last year, will collide for the first finals berth today.

The winner of the all-CNMI semis match will go for the division title against the victor of the Final Four tiff between Fiji’s Kelese Kofe and Tahiti’s Vaitea Molinier. Kofe pulled off an upset over the fourth-ranked Samuel Strid of Vanuatu, 6-2, 2-6, 10-4, to gain a semis berth in the lower half of the draw. Molinier completed the Final Four cast after cruising past compatriot’s Brendon Fong, 6-1, 6-1.

Meanwhile, pool play games in the other divisions wrapped up yesterday and playoff matches will kick off today, along with the doubles tiffs.

In the girls U16 singles, defending champion Carol Lee had a four-game sweep after shutting down Vanuatu’s Daisy Sipiti, 4-0, 4-0, in their Group A match. With her clean slate in the pool play, Lee drew a bye in the first round of the playoffs and automatically moved into the quarterfinals where she may face CNMI teammate Tania Tan. Tan finished fourth in Group 2 with her 1-3 and must beat American Samoa’s Maanaima Tausi in the first round today to get a crack at Lee.

The CNMI’s third bet in the girls U16 singles—Isabel Heras—joined Tan in Group 2, placing third in the pool with her 2-2 record. She also got a bye at the start of the playoffs and is paired against the fourth-ranked Ruby Coffin of Fiji in the lower bracket quarterfinals.

In the girls U14 singles, all four Commonwealth players are in the playoffs. Asia Raulerson (4-1) finished second in Group 2 following her 4-2, 4-2 victory over Kiribati’s Caroline Mwang yesterday. Raulerson is pitted against fellow CNMI player Conatsu Kaga in the quarterfinals as the latter had a 3-2 mark and ended up at third place in Group 1 after beating compatriot Maria Gregoire, 4-0, 4-0, yesterday. Gregoire dropped to fourth with her 2-3 mark and unfortunately she will also face a fellow Commonwealth bet in Malika Miyawaki, who bowed to No. 2 seed Lea Lamorelle, 2-4, 2-4, to fall to third place in Group 2.

In the three other singles contests, the CNMI’s Michael Ren and Vincent Tudela will be facing higher-ranked foes in the U16 players, and Coume Kaga has the same tough assignment in the girls U12, while Ji Min Woo and Seung Jin Paik faltered in their semis bids in the boys U12 age group.

Ren, who failed to win a single match in the pool play, will challenge the fourth-ranked Mason Caldwell of Guam in the first round of the 16-player draw. Tudela, on the other hand, will duel Vanuatu’s Marlin Hannam, the second finisher in Group 1’s pool play. Coume, who placed third in Group 1 with her 3-2 mark, will square off against Group 2 second finisher and Tahiti’s Celine Snogan (4-1).

In the boys U12 singles, Woo and Paik will play in the consolation games for the No. 5 to 8 final rankings in the division after losing to New Caledonia’s Terence Winter, 2-6, 2-6, and No. 1 seed Maui Leflon of Vanuatu, 0-6, 0-6, respectively.