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Junior tennis players show might
The 2014 IT&E Northern Marianas Junior Championships was last week’s centerpiece event.
The Junior ITF world-ranking event drew players from Japan, India, Indonesia, Guam, Hong Hong, Chinese-Taipei, U.S., Australia, Thailand, and the host. The competition offered both girls and boys singles and doubles events and featured more than 70 players. The United States’ Jack Barber went on to be crowned the boys singles champion, while Yurie Tananishi took the girls singles tiara. In the consolation draw, the CNMI’s Tammy Ackerman won in the girls division, while Jake Lee advanced to the finals.
Meanwhile, other ongoing competitions on Saipan pushed through with their games last week.
In the QQ basketball league, playoff matches were played with JP World and Toka eliminating Rebels and High-Five, respectively, in the first round of knockout games. Blue Haus and Island Manpower prevailed in the two other playoff matches with the former beating the Hoopaholics and the latter topping the Rollers.
In two other basketball leagues, San Antonio remains unbeaten in two games in the DL Corp. caging at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium, while I Love Saipan and Gwap Gang also went 2-0 in the DLX/IT&E competition at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court.
In another IT&E-sponsored event—the 2014 IT&E Mixed Doubles and Singles Badminton Tournament—youth player Deether Edralin bagged three straight wins in the men’s singles B after dropping his opening match. Other singles winners last week were men’s A division players Macoi Aguda and Sam Bluutjens.
In football, the M-League and NMIFA Women’s Spring League continued with its regular season games, while a selection of CNMI players left Saipan for Hong Kong to compete in the Chelsea FC Soccer School Hong Kong Invitational Competition 2014.
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- Millie Khoury of Australia serves, while teammate and Hong Kong’s Alvina Lai waits for the next play near the net during their doubles match against Japan’s Asumi Kanazawa and Yuri Katano in the 2014 IT&E Northern Marianas Junior Championships last week at the Pacific Islands Club hard courts.
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- Japan’s Taisei Miyamoto goes for a backhand slice against Jack Barber during their title game in the boys U18 singles event in the 2014 IT&E Northern Marianas Junior Championships last week at the Pacific Islands Club hard courts.
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- Japan’s Nanaka Takeuchi makes a baseline return to compatriot Yurie Takanishi during their title game in the girls U18 singles event in the 2014 IT&E Northern Marianas Junior Championships last week at the Pacific Islands Club hard courts.
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- A phalanx of Shirley’s FC players hounds Kanoa FC’s Jeralyn Castillo during their game in the NMIFA women’s league last week at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.
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- Island Manpower’s Alex Standish, second left, beats JP World’s Errol Peredo, right, in the battle for the loose ball during their semis game in the QQ caging last Friday at the Garapan Basketball Court.
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- The CNMI’s Tammy Ackerman gets ready to serve during her and Ayana Rengiil’s doubles game against Tinglak Jittakoat and Gorbua Srisirisupayok in the 2014 IT&E Northern Marianas Junior Championships last week at the Pacific Islands Club hard courts.
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- The CNMI All-Stars players and team manager Johann Noetzel, standing sixth from right, pose for a photo before leaving Saipan to compete in Hong Kong last week.
