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Heo, O’Conner lose in doubles 3rd round
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Posted on Jul 04 2008
Ji Hoon Heo wrapped up his stint in the 2008 Air Pacific South Pacific Open Junior Championships after losing in the third round of the doubles division at the Dr. Robin Mitchell Tennis Centre in Lautoka, Fiji.
Heo and his partner, William O’Conner of Fiji, took on the vaunted pair of Sam Barr and Stuard Robertson—both of New Zealand—and lost in straight sets.
Barr and Robertson, who are ranked 802 and 737, respectively, in the ITF junior standings, took advantage of their opponents’ relative inexperience and Heo’s soar ankle to handily take the first set, 6-1.
Heo and O’Conner bounced back with a more spirited effort in the second, matching the Kiwis point for point before losing the set and the match, 7-5.
Heo and O’Conner earlier in the week advanced to face the higher ranked Barr and Robertson by beating New Zealanders Ari Davis and Niehana Randall in the second round, 6-2, 7-5. Heo and O’Conner got a bye in the opening round.
Davis is also the same player that Heo lost to in the second round of the singles division in the first day of the competition.
Heo actually started on the right foot against the Kiwi, as he won the first set with plenty to spare. But it was all downhill from there for the 16-year-old Marianas High School student as his ankle injury limited his movement and he eventually lost in a count of 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
It can be recalled that Heo injured his ankle while he was playing in the 2008 Open Junior BNP Paribas de Nouvelle Caledonie tournament in Noumea two weeks back.
Heo may be out of the Air Pacific South Pacific Open Junior Championships 2008, but he can find solace that at least he is now ranked in the ITF junior rankings. In the June 30 posting in the ITF website, Heo is ranked 1,425.
Heo is also expected to lead the North Pacific Team in the 2008 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships set for August of this year. He automatically qualified for the POJC after a runner-up finish in the same event last year.
