Lopsided win in men’s tennis

The CNMI’s Colin Sinclair, right, joins a Solomon Islands player and the umpire for a group photo before the singles game in the XVI Pacific Games yesterday at the Apia Park Tennis Courts in Samoa. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI Men’s National Tennis Team finally saw action in the XVI Pacific Games at the Apia Park in Samoa and demolished the Solomon Islands, 3-0.

Colin Sinclair played in the first singles match and hammered Charlie Benjamin, 6-0, 6-0. Robert Schorr was the Commonwealth’s other entry in the singles play and secured the early victory for his team after dominating Popai Leong, 6-1, 6-0.

After his straight set win, Schorr returned to the court and teamed up with Ken Song in downing Leong and Benjamin, 6-2, 6-2.

With the 3-0 victory, the CNMI takes the early lead in Group D of the pool play elimination. Only the top finishers in each pool (four) will advance to the medal round.

Sinclair and company will next face Kiribati, which the CNMI was originally set to meet last Monday during the opening day of the tennis competition, but the duel was rescheduled due to rain. With the one day delay, the Commonwealth players will have to complete the pool play today and face Nauru in the afternoon match.

Kiribati got an outright victory over Nauru yesterday after sweeping the two singles matches, while results of the doubles event were unavailable as off press time last night.

In other results in the men’s team event, Tahiti topped New Caledonia, 3-0; American Samoa won over Tonga, 2-0; and Papua New Guinea defeated Guam, 2-0.

In the women’s division, host Samoa downed the CNMI, 3-0.

After Eleanor Schuster edged Isabel Heras in the first singles play last Monday, Samoa got the early victory when Steffi Carruthers outclassed her Fed Cup teammate and CNMI’s No.1 singles player Carol Lee, 6-2, 6-1. Carruthers and Schuster also needed only two sets to beat Lee and Heras in the doubles, 7-5, 6-4.

After dropping its opener, the Commonwealth crew, which also includes Tania Tan and Malika Miyawaki, will challenge another tournament favorite—PNG—today in the Group C pairing. The CNMI will then close pool play tomorrow when it takes on the Cook Islands.

PNG cruised to a 3-0 triumph over the Cook Islands yesterday, while in Group A results, Tonga had a similar shutout win over Vanuatu. American Samoa also had a 3-0 victory against the Solomon Islands. Results of the three other pairings on Day 2 of the tennis competition were unavailable as of press time last night.

From left, Carol Lee, Tania Tan, Malika Miyawaki, and Isabel Heras pose for a photo in one of the soaked courts at the Apia Park last Monday during the opening of the tennis competition in the XVI Pacific Games in Samoa. (Contributed Photo)