O’Connel marvels at Carol’s grit, professionalism

Pacific Oceania captain William O’Connell poses with the Islanders players during a break in last week’s 2023 Billie Jean King Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (OCEANIA TENNIS FEDERATION)

Pacific Oceania captain William O’Connell said the CNMI’s Carol Lee was just what the doctor ordered and an integral part of the Islanders’ successful campaign in last week’s 2023 Billie Jean King Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Playing No. 1 for Pacific Oceania, the 20-year-old Georgia Tech standout won all her singles matches and lost only one doubles match en route to helping the team go undefeated and an outright promotion to Group I in 2024.

“Carol’s easy going nature and conscientiousness make her an exceptional teammate. Her professionalism around her tennis and motivation to play is inspiring. On-court she showed so much grit and seemed to find another gear when it mattered most,” said O’Connell.

Lee, for her part, thanked O’Connell and her teammates for an unforgettable six days of tennis in the Southeast Asian nation.

“I want to thank my Billie Jean King Cup team members for a great team effort and spirit and to my captain as well for a great week. We all adapted quickly to one another in a short period of time as a team since we haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

The victorious Pacific Oceania team topped the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup en route to promotion to Group I in 2025. They are shown here on top of the podium while being surrounded by organizers of the competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (OCEANIA TENNIS FEDERATION)

The Saipan Community School alumnae also extended her gratitude to her ever supportive family and the Oceania Tennis Federation.

“I would also like to thank my family who has been supporting me unconditionally and to my dad who has been coaching me behind continuously. I would like to give thanks to the OTF for giving me the opportunity to represent the Pacific Oceania team. I hope this achievement would give many hopes and beliefs to many island players, especially younger junior players,” she added.

Aside from heaping praises to Lee, O’Connell also marveled at the team’s ascendance from a lowly 12th seed to promotion to Group I in the last week’s 2023 Billie Jean King Cup.

“I’m proud of the team and know how proud they are of themselves! Despite our 12th seeding (out of 12 teams), I knew we were capable of being promoted. To do it undefeated, beating multiple teams for the first time in our history (Hong Kong, Chinese-Taipei, and Indonesia) was special. We have shown again that Pacific tennis players can excel at a very high level of competition and hope our ladies have inspired the next generation of Pacific players to believe they too can excel in this game.”

O’Connell added that teamwork was quite exceptional and one of the primary reasons Pacific Oceania topped the six-day tournament.

“There are so many long standing relationships and shared experiences on this team. Team camaraderie was exceptional. We communicated well, laughed a lot, and each person put the needs of the team ahead of their own. The players had belief in the big moments and were able to execute. On many occasions we faced adversity, and our response was exceptional. We also did a good job of controlling what we could control both on and off the court.”

Pacific Oceania went undefeated in their 2023 Billie Jean King Cup competition at the National Tennis Centre in Malaysia’s capital city and thus gained promotion to Group I in 2024.

Pacific Oceania, the Pool A topnotcher, capped their 5-0 brilliance in the six-day tournament after subduing Pool B winner Indonesia, 2-0, last Saturday.

Aside from Pacific Oceania, Chinese-Taipei was the other team promoted to Group I after it turned back New Zealand, 2-1.

Lee, Apisah, and Patricia and Abigail Apisah and Fiji’s Saoirse Breen make up the Pacific Oceania.