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Lee stuns seeded foe in Singapore
The CNMI’s Carol Lee pulled off an upset in the ongoing Singapore ITF Junior Championships 2015.
Carol Lee, seen here going for a return in a local tournament early this year, is in the quarterfinals of the Singapore ITF Junior Championships 2015.
(Roselyn B. Monroyo)
Lee stunned third-ranked Shevita Aulana of Indonesia, 6-1, 6-4, in their second round matchup yesterday at the Kallang Tennis Centre in Stadium Road, Singapore to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament that started last Monday.
Lee, who made it to the second round after sweeping wild card entry Shi Yi Meg Ang of Singapore, 6-1, 6-0 in the opening day, is one of the only three unseeded players to barge into the Round of 8 of the ITF Junior event. She is joined in the quarterfinals by fellow unranked player and Indonesia’s Samantha Nanere, who stunned No. 1 seed Arrum Damarsari, also of Indonesia, China’s Zin Yu Wang, Indonesia’s No. 4 Oxi Gravitas Putri, No. 8 Novela Millenia Putri, No. 7 Joleta Budiman, and No. 5 Fadona Kusumawati, and No. 2 Claudia Ng of Hong Kong.
Lee will challenge Budiman in the quarterfinals today. Budiman marched into the Round of 8 after winning over Japan’s Chisato Hayakawa, 6-3, 3-0 (retired) and against compatriot Faiza Munabari Saskia, 6-1, 6-0.
Meanwhile, the CNMI junior player also saw action in the doubles event in Singapore, teaming up with the host’s Charmaine Shi Yi Seah. The Lee-Seah pair went on to dominate Singapore’s Ruhi Kamdar and Tessa Wong, 6-0, 6-0, in the opening round to advance to the quarterfinals against the second-ranked tandem of Aulana and Novela Putri. The Indonesian players gained a quarterfinals berth after downing the Philippines’ Rafaella Villanueva and Malaysia’s Linda Liong, 6-2, 6-0.
The ITF Junior tournament in Singapore is a Grade 5 event that awards 30 ranking points to the singles champion, 20 to the runner-up, 15 to the semifinalists, 10 to the quarterfinalists, and 5 to the losers in the Round of 16. In the doubles, the ranking points at stake are as follows: 20 (champion), 15 (runner-up), 10 (semifinalists), and 5 (quarterfinalists).
Lee, pending the final results of the Singapore competition, has 50 ranking points in singles and 15 in doubles and is the highest-ranked (No. 780) player in the Pacific Oceania.
