La Hunn concludes NZ tourney on high note

La Hunn Lam won his last two games to finish in 21st place in the 2023 Tennis New Zealand 14U Junior Championships held in Wilding Park in Christchurch.

Last Tuesday, the 13-year-old beat Eddie Bassett, 6-1, 6-2, to conclude his stint in New Zealand.

The day before on Monday, Lam arranged a playoff for the 21st spot in the tourney after defeating Cullem McCashin, 6-3, 6-0.

The twin wins to wrap up the Tennis New Zealand 14U Junior Championships made up for Lam’s 1-2 start to the tourney.

He debuted with a tough 1-6, 7-5 loss to Paxton Manning last Dec. 1, but followed that up with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Nicholas Rayner last Dec. 2.

The following day, Lam absorbed a 2-6, 4-6 beating in the hands of Max Flanagan.

Pacific Oceania 14U coach Gilles De Gouy applauded Lam’s spunk on his first match despite being injured and playing against a physically more dominant opponent

“La Hunn just lost against a more powerful and physical player than him. La Hunn is also injured (elbow) and not playing at 100% which does not help. Despite that, he showed a great work ethic and attitude,” he said in a report to the Oceania Tennis Federation.

Lam also played in a couple of doubles matches and split them. Playing with Matthew Saint, he triumphed against Austen Keni and Jacques Rupe, 6-0, 6-4. The duo, however, lost to top seeds Luca Bland and Damien M-Budiono, 4-6, 3-6, in their next match.

All in all, Lam said the 2023 Tennis New Zealand 14U Junior Championships gave him a wealth of experience.

“It was a great experience for me overall. I started with no confidence due to the injuries on my hip and elbow, but I have learned a lot playing against great players and some cheaters. Everything was a helpful experience in improving my game to play in the strong wind (different weather conditions) and against good level of players. More importantly I have learned how to deal with difficult moments against tricky players and I realized I need to raise my voice to fight for my rights,” he told Saipan Tribune in a social media message.

De Gouy continued to praise Lam for showing a positive spirit under duress and believes his attitude will bring him to greater heights in tennis.

“La Hunn optimizes the best he can with his opportunities. Great singles match facing a good opponent, positive energy, really alive, a lot of self motivation…Same positive attitude and tennis with leadership on top of that with his partner,” he said in another report to OTF.

Malcom Kajir, who observed Lam while coaching the Pacific Oceania U12 team, said Lam indeed has a bright future in the sport.

“Coming from a Pacific Island he was able to compete with the top 14-and-under players from New Zealand. Even though he narrowly went down in a close first game he was able to regroup and win several of his other matches. Just with more intense training and overseas match plays, which is the key, he would have a great opportunity to do well in this age group as he will have another year to be in the boys 14-and-under age group. A lot of this year’s stronger 14-year-olds will be moving to the next age group up. There’s every opportunity for him to win in this age group next year,” he said in social media message to Saipan Tribune.