Miller, Camacho top doubles foes

The duos of Christian Miller and Daniel Camacho and Rafael Jones and Nathan Nutting provided spectators of the 2009 CNMI Junior Championships at the American Memorial Park courts a good show, playing tough tennis in three hard-fought sets in the finale of the boys’ 18-and-under doubles division.

Unfortunately, only one pair had to win with the tandem of Miller and Camacho surviving a second-set meltdown to notch the championship Sunday afternoon.

Miller and Camacho had a rousing start, blanking Jones and Nutting in the opening set, 6-0. But just when some of the spectators of the title match thought Miller and Camacho will have a walk in the park in the second set after an impressive win in the opening set, Jones and Nutting came charging back.

A 6-3 victory in the second set allowed Jones and Nutting to send the championship game to a deciding third set.

The two pairs had a neck-and-neck battle in the third set and it was too close that Miller and Camacho won by only a point, 7-6, to secure the title.

Going into the championship game, the duos of Jones and Nutting and Miller and Camacho won their first two matches.

Miller and Camacho downed Andy Nutting and Daniel Park in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, and went 2-0 after beating Angelo Jones and Clay McCullough-Stearns, 6-4, 6-3.

Rafael and Nathan also needed three sets to top Andy and Park, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. In their second game, Rafael and Nathan had an easier win, whipping Angelo and McCullough-Stearns, 6-1, 6-2.

Three other pairs won doubles crowns with Adele Hudkins and Alina Ishikawa prevailing in the girls’ 12-and-under, Chris Cajigan and Carl Dela Cruz ruling the boys’ 12-and-under, and Minor sisters Thea and Theecel topping the girls’ 18-and-under.

The girls’ 12-and-under title game was also played in three sets with Hudkins and Ishikawa surviving Gabrielle Race and Neghar Rastguiy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.

In the boys’ 12-and-under division finals, Cajigan and Dela Cruz needed only two sets to trounce brothers Jake and Aaron lee, 6-2, 7-6.

Thea and Theecel also had an easy win in the finals, walloping Melody Johnson and Dina Jones, 6-0, 6-1.

After last weekend’s doubles tournament, Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association will be holding the singles events this weekend.

The singles tournament offers 1.5 times the regular ranking points, which will be crucial in selecting players who will play for the CNMI in the boys and girls’ 18-and-under and 14-and-under competitions in the North Pacific Qualifying Tournament in Guam in June.

Meanwhile, NMITA would like to thank Deloitte and Touche Komatsu, Tano Group, Deepstar Submarine, Java Joe’s, Spectrum Electric, Marianas Medical Center, Law Offices of Stephen J. Nutting, C.N. Lee International, Tan Holdings, and Aces Tennis Academy for supporting this year’s championships.