Miller joins Oceania ITF Touring Team

 The CNMI will now have four representatives to the Oceania ITF Touring Team that will compete in Australia next month after Christian Miller confirmed his entry to the elite squad.

Miller will be joining fellow Commonwealth players Rafael Jones, Thea Minor, and Tammy Ackerman in the Land Down Under to participate in two events-the Margaret Court Tournament from Jan. 6 to 10 in Albury and the Victoria Junior Grasscourt Championships that will run from Jan. 11 to 15 in Wodonga. The four CNMI bets will leave Saipan on Jan. 1 and return on Jan. 20.

The 16-year-old Miller initially had second thoughts of competing in Australia after getting an invite from Oceania Tennis Federation as joining the touring team means he needs to miss school for two weeks.

“I could not commit early because of school commitments so it was only last month when I confirmed to coach Jeff [Race] that I will be going. This is a great opportunity and I am glad I will not miss it,” Miller said in a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune.

Miller was selected on the Pacific Touring Team after making it to the finals of the U15 division of the 2011 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji last August and dominating the 2011 North Pacific Qualifying Tournament in Guam.

However, in Australia, Miller will be playing in the U18 division, the same age group Jones will be competing in.

“It will be tough, but I hope to have good results in my first U18 tournament in Australia. It will be great to make it all the way to the finals,” said Miller, who was also part of the Oceania ITF Touring Team (U15) that joined several tournaments in New Zealand three years ago.

“I know we will be up against some of the top U18 players in Australia, New Zealand, and other countries in Oceania. It’s a totally different playing field, so we will just give our best and show what we learned from our training sessions,” the Saipan Southern High School student said.

In the past two months, Miller trained under Race three times a week. With Race going off-island mid this month, Miller is now on his own. He said he pushes himself to train on weekdays with each session lasting for one and a half hours.

“I hit balls with my fellow junior players and do physical training too, like sprinting on both ends of the court,” said Miller, who usually trains at the Pacific Islands Club.

After the competition in Wodonga, Miller and company will return to Melbourne and will have an opportunity to watch the preliminary round games of the prestigious 2011 Australian Open.