Irin claims girls 16 championship

Unseeded Irin Chung didn’t drop a set enroute to winning the girls 16 title of last weekend’s 2024 Bridge Capital Tennis Classic at the American Memorial Park.

Chung beat No. 1 seed Hoo Wang, 6-4, 6-4, in the finals to win the age group of the third tennis tournament of the 2024 calendar year.

The Saipan International School student started the competition with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Savita Sikkel before punching her ticket to the finals with a 7-6, 6-2 win over Anne Lee.

Wang, meanwhile, debuted by beating Anna Kwon, 6-1, 6-4, before arranging the finals tiff against Chung after dispatching Lina Tsukagoshi, 6-3, 6-2.

Chung said, overall, she’s happy that she was able to pull of the win opposite Wang in the girls 16 finals.

“I didn’t really come in with a strategy but I knew I had to make my opponent run more to make her tired since it was really hot that day,” she said.

She added that her age group in the 2024 Bridge Capital Tennis Classic was very competitive and that made her victory all the more fulfilling.

“It was difficult as I felt my opponents all got better. I’m happy that I came out on top. I am dedicating my win to my family as they always supported me.

In the girls 14, top seed Emma Lang swept the three-player division to win the tiara. She first beat second seed Vivian Chung, 6-4, 7-5, before claiming the championship by topping Jenna Pascual, 6-1, 6-1.

No. 1 seed Scarlett Loken won the girls 12 in similar fashion after defeating second seed Selina Shi, 6-1, 6-1, and Evan Shin, 6-1, 6-1.

In the girls 10, Fiona Yu also justified her top ranking by winning all four games. She beat Aileen Kim (6-0), Natsuki Tilipao (6-2), Harper Loken (7-6 (11)), and Jiyun Lee (6-2).

Michael Jeon and Stella Choi then took the plum in the mixed doubles 12. They beat Daniel Kang and Emma Lang, 6-3, 6-2, and Evan Zhang and Selina Chi via walkover.

Week 2 of the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association-organized 2024 Bridge Capital Tennis Classic unfurls this weekend with action in the men’s open, women’s doubles, women’s 35, women’s doubles 35, men’s 40, men’s doubles 40, and men’s doubles 4.0.

Action in the men’s open is expected to be the highlight of the weekend with the Top 3 seeds—Colin Ramsay, Tomas Abel, and David Kwon—welcoming Tahiti national player Heimanarii Lai Shan, who is curiously unseeded, to the tourney.