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Race positive about jr. players’ chances in Guam
CNMI coach Jeff Race, left back row, and his nine players pose for a group at the departure area of the Saipan International Airport yesterday before leaving for Guam for a weekend tournament. (Contributed Photo)
CNMI coach Jeff Race is confident that majority of his players will make it to the playoff round of the 44th Annual Chamorro Open.
Race and the Commonwealth’s nine U14 players— Robbie Schorr, Ken Song, Sean Lee, Ji Min Woo, Seung Jin Paik, Malika Miyawaki , Conatsu Kaga, Asia Raulerson, and Maria Gregoire—left Saipan yesterday in time for the tournament that will be held at the Rick Ninete Tennic Center in Agana, Guam this weekend.
“I am positive we will be able to sweep the semifinal slots,” Race said.
“Our players have been doing well in their training sessions and I am confident they are ready to compete and do their best,” he added.
The competition in Guam is sanctioned by Oceania Tennis Federation as ranking points will be at stake in the event. It is part of OTF’s Junior Circuit with member countries hosting at least one competition every year to determine the top players in the U14 age group. The CNMI hosted its own Junior Circuit-ranking tournament last November during the 7th Tan Holdings Tennis Classic. The circuit is on its second year with Schorr and Song making it to the Top 5 of the pilot program last year.
In the Guam event, the four members of the CNMI girls team are divided into two groups. Miyawaki and Raulerson are in Pool A along with the host’s Kaia Malakooti and Alyssa Merletti. In Pool B, Gregoire and Kaga are joined by Jocelyn Tenai and Alexia Brown.
In the boys division, Paik, Woo, and Schorr are in Pool A, while Guam’s Kian Malakooti completes the field. In Pool B, Song and Lee are joined by Dakota Gibson.
The tournament in Guam is also a preview of the 2016 North Pacific Regional Championships, which Saipan will be hosting in June. Majority of the CNMI’s nine U14 players are likely to square off against the same foes when they play in the North Pacific qualifying and battle for tickets for the 2016 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships, which will take place in August in Fiji.
Meanwhile, selection for the CNMI Junior Team that will compete in the North Pacific event will not be made until Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Federation holds the national championships next month. Players will be picked based on their performance and total ranking points from the four tournaments under NMITA’s 2015-2016 calendar. The first three competitions were the Tan Holdings Tennis Classic, Coconut Tennis Classic, and Pacific Islands Club Tennis Championships.
