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3 CNMI netters join Junior ITF event
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Posted on Aug 16 2011
The CNMI’s Thea Minor, Christian Miller, and Rafael Jones earned slots to the main draw of the Air Pacific Oceania Closed Junior Championships 2011 being played in Lautoka, Fiji.
Minor was entered in the girls U18 division of the B2 tournament under the Junior ITF Circuit. A grade B2 event awards 120 Junior ITF points to the champion, 80 to the runner-up, 60 to semifinalists, 40 to quarterfinalists, 25 to the losers in the Last 16, and 10 to the losers in the Last 32.
The 15-year-old CNMI bet joined the 32-player draw and was pitted against the No. 5 seed Celine Lenertz of Australia in the first round of play last Monday. Minor lost in straight sets, 1-6, 0-6, faltering in her other bid to move past the opening round.
Last year, Minor played in the same tournament and fell to second-ranked Abbie Myers of Australia, also in two sets, 1-6,0-6.
Miller and Jones had their debuts in the Oceania Closed with the former entered both in the singles and doubles events and the latter joining only the doubles competition.
Miller, who qualified for his first Junior ITF event after making it to the finals of the boys U15 division of the 2011 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships last week, had a tough assignment in the opening round of the boys U18 contest. He was paired against Australia’s Andrew Harris, who is seeded second in the 32-player field. The Australian player went on to sweep Miller, 6-0, 6-1.
In the doubles competition, Miller teamed up with Jones and the two CNMI bets bowed to Australia’s Jacob Grills and James Sheppard, 0-6, 3-6.
Minor was also scheduled to play in the girls U18 doubles and teamed up with Vanuatu’s Lorraine Banimataku. The CNMI-Vanuatu tandem was set to duel the top-ranked pair of Myers and New Zealand’s Emily Fanning in the first round yesterday.
Minor and Jones both played in the U18 division of the POJC and finished fifth and fourth in their respective age groups. The two U18 players and Miller suited up for the North Pacific squad with eight other CNMI players, who then were scheduled to compete in the Oceania Plate tournament after the POJC concluded last Friday. Results of the Oceania Plate were unavailable at press time.
