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Schorr, Miyawaki compete in Australia
Malika Miyawaki, seen here serving during the 6th Tan Holdings Tennis Classic last month, is competing in Australia. (Contributed Photo)
The two Commonwealth junior tennis players are part of the ITF-Pacific Oceania Touring Team and are participating in both the singles and doubles events in the six-day tournament that started last Tuesday. Miyawaki and Schorr earned spots on the elite squad after their impressive showings in the 2014 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships held in Fiji in August. Both CNMI players made it to the semifinal round of the POJC.
“Both players are competing in Australia for the first time and they are very thrilled and thankful for the chance to play there. For Malika, it has been her dream to make it to the touring team, so I hope she makes the most out of it,” Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association official Jeff Race said.
Malika debuted in the Land Down Under tournament last Tuesday and dropped her opening match in the 64-player main draw. She lost to Australia’s Mia Repac, 2-6, 2-1, to fall to the consolation draw. In her second match, which lasted for about two hours, Miyawaki played better, but still bowed to the host’s Jasmine Adams, 2-6, 4-6.
The Saipan International School student played back-to-back games yesterday, as less than three hours after her second singles match, she paired with Ella Hunt in battling Tully Richter and Kara Tscharke. Richter and Tscharke prevailed, 3-6, 2-6.
With a 0-3 record, Miyawaki will aim to bounce back when she faces Georgia Tovic today in the southern side of the draw.
In the boys 12U, Schorr also failed to win his opening match, but he recovered quickly. He fell to the No. 15-ranked Jasper Benson last Tuesday, 2-6, 2-6, before battling back with a tough 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Rueben Giorgio yesterday afternoon. Next up for Schorr is Ethan Cook, a 6-2, 7-5 winner against Alexander Placek.
In the doubles, Schorr and his teammate—China’s Bo Yao Huang—were scheduled to challenge Jacob Bradshaw and Ethan Waugh last night.
Meanwhile, both Miyawaki and Schorr also competed in the 2014 Australia Team Championships, but results of their matches were not posted at the Tennis Australia website.
