Ashraf makes waves in New Zealand

Even as Tim Quan is busy proving himself deserving of a stint in the 18 & Under touring team of the International Tennis Federation-Pacific Oceania in Australia, Kanani Ashraf is already acknowledged as one of the rising tennis stars in the region.

The 11-year-old Saipan-born netter and her parents, Dr. Mohammad Ashraf and Verna Felipe, relocated to Hawaii late last year, got her name into the region’s tennis “A” list after performing admirably as part of the same federations’ 14 & Under touring team last December in New Zealand.

Ashraf was joined in the ITF-Pacific Oceania 14 & Under squad by Daneric Hazelman and Theo Rex of Fiji, Lorenzo Pineda of Vanuatu, Manu Priest of Cook Islands, Prince Mat’ utia of Samoa, and Abigail Tere-Apisah of Papua New Guinea. She was the youngest islander in the two-week tour.

The first leg of the team’s tour, the Pepsi Cola Waikato Junior Open from Dec. 6 to 11, saw Ashraf chalk up two wins in the singles competition—one in the first round and another in the consolation. She also teamed up with Tere-Apisah but lost to the No. 1 seeds in the first round of the doubles event.

Ashraf played much better in the 12s and 16s events from Dec. 9 to 11. She won a total of three games in the tournament and reached the finals of the 12-and-under division—the only player from the seven-person team to advance to the championship. Ashraf again partnered with Tere-Apisah and the two managed to win a round before losing in the next.

Following a two-day break, Ashraf and her tennis buddies were back on the courts and competed in the Poverty Bay tournament from Dec. 13 to 16. She again got off to a lightning-quick start and won two games to advance to the semis, where she lost. Ashraf then battled Tere-Aspisah for third place but yielded the contest to her older teammate.

Next up for her was another 12s and 16s events on Dec. 15 and 16. Ashraf again managed to win two matches before getting stopped in the semis.

The final competition entered in by Ashraf and her six teammates was the Auckland Christmas Tournament, which lasted from Dec. 18 to 22. She definitely saved herself for the last competition, as the youth netter thumped four consecutive opponents before going down fighting in the finals.

ITC-Pacific Oceania official Dan O’Connell, who accompanied the team in New Zealand, couldn’t have summed up her performance in the championship any better when he wrote:

“Kanani won four matches in a row to find herself in the final. It was the last match of the tournament and it was a great one. After almost two hours, Kanani had two match points, but eventually ended up losing a heartbreaker, 7-5, in the third. Too often young players base success on results. During our trip I always reinforced the thought that total effort was more important than winning. Good job Kanani…”