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Lee, Sinclair ease past opponents
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Posted on Jul 16 2019
From left, Carol Lee, Isabel Heras, Tania Tan, and Malika Miyawaki, pose for a photo before playing in their respective matches in the XVI Pacific Games in Samoa last week. (Contributed Photo)
The CNMI’s Colin Sinclair and Carol Lee waltzed past the second round of their respective singles events in the XVI Pacific Games yesterday at the Apia Park Tennis Courts in Samoa.
Lee, seeded No. 5 in the women’s singles, topped Samoa’s Ela Puleni Vakaukamea, 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the third round where she will face the winner in today’s match between No. 12 Leilany Ipunesso of New Caledonia and unranked Davina Hosking-Ashford of the Cook Islands. Ipunesso and Hosking-Ashford were originally set to collide yesterday, but their game along with several other matches last Monday afternoon were rained-out.
Isabel Hera’s second round meeting with and Samoa’s Sauleone Anasis Saipele was also reset to today, while Malika Miyawaki and Tania Tan’s matches were completed yesterday. No. 3 Steffi Carruthers of American Samoa defeated Tan, 6-0, 6-0, while No. 6 Naia Guitton of Tahiti downed Miyawaki, 6-4, 6-3.
In the men’s singles, Sinclair and Song are in the third round, as the former hammered Samoa’s Icham Tidjine and the latter won via walkover against No. 13 Larry Magalasin of American Samoa.
Sinclair’s next foe is No. 14 seed and Vanuatu’s Leon Vainui Soonalole, who eliminated Robert Remikio Scotty, 6-0, 3-2 (retired). The No. 1 seed Sinclair will go for a quarterfinals berth, while Song will do the same when he takes on No. 2 and Papua New Guinea’s Matthew Stubbings.
Besides the singles matches, the men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles games will also resume today after yesterday’s cancelation due to rain.
Meanwhile, three CNMI runners completed their races yesterday at the start of the athletics competition at the Apia Park Stadium’s track facility.
Traven Quitugua joined Heat 3 of the 100m qualifying run and timed in at 11.81 seconds, while Beo Ngirchongor was on Heat 1 and submitted 12.66 seconds. Both Commonwealth bets missed the cut.
In the women’s 5,000m race, Tan logged 21:56.63. Papua New Guinea dominated the 5K event with Poro Gahekabe (18:27.46) and Mary Tenge (19:14.50) taking the gold and silver medals, respectively. The Solomon Islands’ Dianah Matekali won the bronze after timing in at 19:31.38 in the event that had the first athletics medal at stake.
