Top 5 finish for Schorr, Song

The CNMI’s Robbie Schorr and Ken Song made it to the Top 5 of the Oceania Tennis Federation’s 14 and Under 14 Circuit final rankings that was released last Monday.

From left, Ken Song, Robbie Schorr, Vincent Tudela, and Steven Goodwin, seen here posing for a photo during the 2015 North Pacific Regional Championships in Guam, made it to the final rankings in the 14 and Under Circuit of the Oceania Tennis Federation. (Contributed Photo)

The 13-year-old Schorr emerged as the highest-ranked Commonwealth player in the inaugural 14 and Under Circuit after finishing third with his 2,220 points. Song came in at fourth with his 1,380 rankings, beating Tahiti’s Jeremy Guines in the tiebreak.

Vanuatu’s Clement Mainguy won the first circuit title after collecting 4,500 ranking points, while Tahiti’s Gillian Osmont settled for runner-up honors with his 2,700. Ranking points were awarded to players who competed in various tournaments held in the 2014-2015 season.

“It’s great that Robbie and Ken made it to the Top 5.They have shown tremendous improvement since the beginning of the season. They have been very committed to tennis, training very hard six times a week,” CNMI coach Jeff Race said in a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune last night.

Race also noted that he Top 2 players n the circuit got more points than Schorr and Song because Mainguy and Osmont competed in one more tournament. The CNMI Sports Hall of Famer added that Schorr even defeated Mainguy in one of the events under the Circuit.

Race is talking of Schorr’s 6-4, 6-7 (3), 10-7 victory over the Vanuatu player in the singles contest of the team event in the 2015 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships held in Fiji in August.

“I hope our players will continue to improve and move up to the ladder next season,” Race said.

Three other CNMI bets joined Schorr and Song in the rankings with Vincent Tudela placing at No. 11 and Haruya Eda and Steven Goodwin finishing at No. 22 and 30, respectively. Tudela collected 620 points, Eda earned 240, and Goodwin got 140. Vanuatu’s Marlin Hannam (1,190 points), Samoa’s Kristen Pavitt (980), Kiribati’s Banian Ieora (890), Fiji’s Shantanu Shail (770), and the Federated States of Micronesia’s Joab William (760) rounded out the Top 10.

Meanwhile, the 14 and Under Circuit will start awarding ranking points for the 2015-2016 this month with the staging of the Tan Holdings Tennis Classic on Saipan. Four more events are lined up for the new season—a tournament in Samoa in November, the TVL Regional Championships in Vanuatu next month, the Easter Open in Fiji in April, and a U14 Circuit contest in American Samoa with the date to be announced later.

“We will have more players having a chance to gain ranking points as we now have our own event included in the Circuit,” Race said.