J30 tennis tourney underway

The International Tennis Federation J30 Junior World Ranking Tournament is underway after the first day of games yesterday at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan tennis courts.

The weather was hot with the summer sun hanging high in the sky, just as intense competition between junior netters from around the world raged below.

The boys No. 1 in the tourney, Hong Kong’s Aidan Lam Meng Bart (world No. 812), blasted through an easy matchup against Japan’s Takuto Matsuo, 6-0, 6-1, to open the tourney up.

As for NMI players, June Yu advanced to the next round and racked up his first ITF points after he defeated countryman David Kwon in a tough three-set matchup, 1-6, 6-4, 4-3.

The NMI’s Hoo Wang then dominated teammate Hannah Chae, 6-1, 6-2. Then, NMI’s Irin Chung was eliminated after she lost to Japan’s Nonoka Shimizu, 1-6, 1-6. The NMI’s Matthew Hwang also lost his match as he was silenced by Hong Kong’s Andre Lam Jun Bart, 0-6, 0-6. After, the NMI’s Henry Seungwoo Choi lost to Hong Kong’s Yik Hin Brandon Wong, 2-6, 2-6. Ryan Jeongwoo Choi also fell to Japan’s Mao Tazuru, 0-6, 0-6.

Then, toward the end of the day, the NMI’s Siwoo Lee fell to the tourney’s No. 2 in the boys division, Japan’s Eita Suzuki, 0-6, 0-6, and the NMI’s Simon Tang lost to Japan’s Shuya Machida, 2-6, 0-6.

In other matches, South Korea’s Gyeom Do defeated Japan’s Yuta Amano, 6-2, 6-1, and Hong Kong’s Ying Chi Chloe Wong bested South Korea’s Sun Park, 6-3, 6-0; and South Korea’s Geon Hyeok Jeon breezed past Japan’s Itsuki Umezawa, 6-3, 6-1.

South Korea’s Junhyuk Seo made light work of Japan’s Daiya Hino, 6-2, 6-2, and Japan’s Aoi Yoshida routed Great Britain’s Charlotte Perks, 6-2, 6-4.

Japan’s Tohko Takino edged Guam’s Fremont Gibson, 6-1, 6-2, and South Korea’s Jian Pyun beat Guam’s Jonathan Jackson, 6-4, 6-1.

South Korea’s Young Hoon Kim won via forfeit over Taiwan’s Alex Lap Hang Hui, and countryman Kyoungman Kim defeated Chinese-Taipei’s Caden Kuang-Bo Hsia, 6-3, 6-2.

Then, Jun Hyuck Lee of South Korea beat Japan’s Aoi Umezawa, 6-0, 6-2, and Australia’s Darren Yann Junn Lew defeated South Korea’s Taekyeon Lee, 6-4, 6-0.

Japan’s Misaki Sekido crushed South Korea’s Yura Kang, 6-1, 5-2, and Hong Kong’s Wan Him Donovan Yim blew past South Korea’s Woo Yeon Na, 6-1, 6-2.

When the Saipan Tribune visited the courts at noon yesterday, the tourney was well underway under the blazing summer sun, just as a slight breeze continuously blew around the courts.

There, Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association president and tourney director Jeff Race said that the tourney is great for NMI players as they could potentially earn ITF points if they win their matches.

As to why NMI’s La Hunn Lam wasn’t in the tourney, Race said he was injured after the 2024 Citadel Guam World Tour earlier this month. He also won’t be able to play for the NMI tennis team in the 2024 Micronesian Games in the Marshall Islands from June 15 to 24.

Fifty-five junior netters from the NMI, Guam, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, U.S., Great Britain, and Chinese-Taipei are vying for ITF points in the tourney that ends on Saturday, June 2.

An ITF J30 event is a junior event with 30 world ranking points for the winner. Players will play singles and doubles. It is the entry level event for emerging tennis players who are trying to acquire world ranking points to be accepted on the professional tour or win a scholarship to a U.S. college.

The last time an ITF J30 event was held on Saipan was in 2019.