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Irin leads the pack in Fiji
Chung
Irin Chung, who was granted a wildcard entry to the 2022 Pacific Oceania Juniors Championship, is currently perfect in the 14-and-under girls singles division.
She made it three wins in a row yesterday in Group C at the Regional Tennis Center in Lautoka, Fiji after beating Samoa’s Dora Moors, 6-2, 7-6.
Last Monday, Sept. 12, Chung got the better of Vanuatu’s Ashanti Ligo, 6-3, 7-6.
In her first game last Sunday, Chung outlasted Guam’s Leila Mercado in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 12-10.
In other results, fellow wildcard entry, June Yu, has so far won two of his three matches.
He debuted in the boys 14-and-under in Group A with a loss to Tahiti’s Keanu Lei Foc, 3-6, 2-6.
He, however, came back strong by defeating Ao Li of Australia, 6-3, 6-2.
In his third game, he played against countryman Si Woo Lee, and took the win in three sets, 5-7, 6-1, 10-3.
The 2022 POJC marked both netters’ debut in the regional tournament for juniors.
Chung and Yu, both the CNMI’s top-ranked 14-year-olds in the sport, were upset by their teammates and missed the Top 4 in the recent 2022 Northern Pacific Regional Championships in Guam.
Aside from Irin and June, 15 CNMI bets made the cut in the 2022 POJC which include boys 16-and-under’s Minsoo “David” Kwon, girls 16’s Serin Chung and Savita Sikkel, boys 14’s La Hunn Lam, Nason Wessel, Seung Woo “Henry” Choi, and Siwoo Lee, girls 14’s Hoo Wang, Hannah Chae, and Anna Kwon, boys 12’s Yutaka Kadokura, Ian Chae, Ryan Choi, and Jihun Park, and girls 12’s Lina Tsukagoshi.
In the standings, Minsoo “David” Kwon is at 2-2, Serin Chung is at 1-3, Savita Sikkel is at 0-4, La Hunn Lam is at 2-3, Nason Wessel is at 2-3, Seun Woo “Henry” Choi is at 1-2, Siwoo Lee is at 1-2 , Hoo Wang is at 2-1, Hannah Chae is at 1-1, and Anna Kwon is at 0-2. The CNMI’s boys 12 are 0-3 and the girls 12 players are at 0-4 in doubles
The CNMI junior netters are coached by CNMI sports hall of famer and Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Federation president Jeff Race.
