Simon, Hoo claim boys/girls 16 division title

Simon Tang topped the boys 16 division, while Hoo Wang dominated the girls 16 division in the 2024 White-Coconut Classic at the American Memorial Park tennis courts last Monday.

No. 2 seed Tang knocked out No. 1 seed Si Woo in the shortened sets, 5-3, 4-2. The tourney’s Sunday games were rained out, so they had to cut each of the matches short with no deuces on Monday.

This is Tang’s second title in as many tournaments—the other being the recently held 2024 SIS Student Council Tennis Tournament last month.

Sixteen-year-old Tang said of his win, “I feel very happy that I managed to win another title! The weather wasn’t in favor for Siwoo or me. It was really hard to take control of our service games due to the wind.”

He said his strategy then was to stay calm but aggressive at the same time. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to control any external limitations. Due to the rain we had to play short sets which was a bummer but even with those conditions we definitely had a very competitive and fun match!” said the Saipan Southern High School junior.

No. 1 seed Wang, in her division, snagged the title against No. 2 Anne Lee in twin sets, 4-2, 4-2.

The weather was not on anyone’s side that day as the Saipan International School student said, “The competition was very challenging due to the windy weather and shorter sets. However, I was able to win straight sets by being more aggressive and bringing the pace to myself.

She added, “Since I had already played the semifinals before my match, I was all warmed up to play my best in the finals.”

The 15-year-old’s goal is to win all the following tournaments in the girls’ division and also play in the boys’ division to challenge herself in the sport.

In the boys 12 division, No. 1 seed Jinho Cody Park took the finals crown after he bested No. 2 seed Michael Jeon, 4-2, 5-4. Eight-year-old Park said after their game, “I was kind of nervous and was kind of losing, but I won and I’m happy.” As to how the match went, he said, “I was trying to give it to his backhand so that he can make it above the net and I can finish it.”

In the girls 12 division, Scarlett Loken won both matches in their round-robin format to win the title. She challenged Selina Chi and won, 4-2, 4-1 in the finals.

In other results in the boys 14 division, No. 1 seed Ryan Choi swept all five games in their round-robin format. In the final game, he defeated Ian Chae, 5-3, 4-1.

No. 1 seed Stella Choi then swept the competition in the girls 14 division round-robin format. In the finals, she beat No. 2 Amy Park, 4-1, 4-1.

Another sweep was made in the boys 10 division, as Evan Zhang dominated all three games in the round-robin format. He won his last match against Jonghyun Lee, 6-3.2

In another round-robin format in the girls 10 division, No. 1 seed Fiona Yu also won all three matches and took the final match against No. 2 Aileen Kim, 6-1.

The 2024 Coconut Classic began last Feb. 9 to Feb. 11, then from Feb. 16 to last Monday and was organized by the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association.