Mixed fortunes for CNMI jr. netters

The CNMI had an on-and-off performance in Day 2 of the 2011 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Lautoka, Fiji, assuring the Commonwealth only three slots to the next round.

In the boys U15 division, Jake Lee notched his second win in as many games after downing American Samoa’s Louie Amurao, 6-1, 6-1, yesterday at the Regional Tennis Centre. Lee now shares the No. 1 spot in Pool D with Kiribati’s Teba Tito. The two leaders collide today to decide the top finisher in the pool, but both are already in the quarterfinals.

Joining Tito and Lee to the next round is Christian Miller. The 15-year-old CNMI netter finished second in Pool A with his 2-1 record, bowing to eventual pool winner Heve Kelly of Tahiti yesterday. The final score of Miller’s game against Kelly was unavailable at press time.

In the girls U15, only Mikayla Lopez is still in the fight for a semis ticket after Melody Johnson lost her first game yesterday. Johnson bowed to Yaelle Honakolo of New Caledonia, 3-6, 1-6, to drop to a 1-2 card in Pool A and was scheduled to meet Maimiti Marama of Tahiti in the second game yesterday and the undefeated Alesi Molotii (3-0) of Tonga today.

Lopez was also set to play two matches yesterday in Pool B, but results of neither game were unavailable at press time. Pending Day 2’s results, Lopez has a 2-0 record and must win at least two of her three remaining days to make it to the semifinals. Only the Top 2 finishers in Pools A and B will barge into the playoffs and Papua New Guinea’s Lorish Puluspene (4-0) had already secured the first semis ticket.

In the girls U12 division, the CNMI had already gained one semis ticket after Negahr Rastguiy swept her two games yesterday. Rastguiy, who lost her first match over Tammy Ackerman last Monday, recovered with a 6-1, 6-1 win over the Cook Islands’ Kiana Sword-Tua and then stunned the then undefeated Mulan Kamoe (3-1) of Fiji, 6-4, 6-3. Rastguiy will play her last game against Samoa’s Lyla Tapusoa tomorrow, while Ackerman will take on Sword-Tua. Ackerman lost to Kamoe yesterday, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, and the two players and Rastguiy share similar 3-1 slates after Day 2.

Twin victories for the CNMI today will force a three-way deadlock for first place in Pool and the tie will be resolved by dividing each players’ sets won to sets lost.

In the boys U12, Carl Dela Cruz must win his game against Samoa’s Harley Cronin today to make it to the semifinals. Dela Cruz hold a 3-1 record in Pool A, tying Croning, after splitting his two matches yesterday. Dela Cruz defeated Guam’s Gabrielle Tan, 6-4, 6-1, but failed to keep his record clean after losing to Tahiti’s Michael Emery, 1-6, 1-6. Emery (4-0) has already gained a semis ticket in Pool A.

In Pool B, Moris Villanueva is out of the running after dropping his two games yesterday and falling to a 1-3 record. Villanueva lost to Guam’s Edward Chung, 2-6, 3-6, and the Cook Islands’ Andrew Terupe, 3-6, 4-6.

In the boys U18, Rafael Jones split his two games to drop to second place in the eight-team field. Jones, who had a 2-0 record in Day 1, lost his first game yesterday against Fiji’s Chris Hargrove, 3-6, 2-6, before recovering with a walkover win over Fiji’s Raynal Singh.

Thea Minor also recovered from a defeat at the hands of Vanuatu’s Lorraine Banimatoku after blanking her older sister, Thecel, 6-0, 6-0. The younger Minor has a 2-1 record in Pool A, pending the results of her game against PNG’s Marcia Tere-Apisah yesterday. If Thea wins over the PNG bet and then prevails against the Cook Islands’ Lillian Maui, she will advance to the semifinals.