{"id":409134,"date":"2024-05-29T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=409134"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"J30-tennis-tourney-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/J30-tennis-tourney-underway\/","title":{"rendered":"J30 tennis tourney underway"},"content":{"rendered":"

The International Tennis Federation J30 Junior World Ranking Tournament is underway after the first day of games yesterday at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan tennis courts.<\/p>\n

The weather was hot with the summer sun hanging high in the sky, just as intense competition between junior netters from around the world raged below.<\/p>\n

The boys No. 1 in the tourney, Hong Kong\u2019s Aidan Lam Meng Bart (world No. 812), blasted through an easy matchup against Japan\u2019s Takuto Matsuo, 6-0, 6-1, to open the tourney up.<\/p>\n

As for NMI players, June Yu advanced to the next round and racked up his first ITF points after he defeated countryman David Kwon in a tough three-set matchup, 1-6, 6-4, 4-3.<\/p>\n

The NMI\u2019s Hoo Wang then dominated teammate Hannah Chae, 6-1, 6-2. Then, NMI\u2019s Irin Chung was eliminated after she lost to Japan\u2019s Nonoka Shimizu, 1-6, 1-6. The NMI\u2019s Matthew Hwang also lost his match as he was silenced by Hong Kong\u2019s Andre Lam Jun Bart, 0-6, 0-6. After, the NMI\u2019s Henry Seungwoo Choi lost to Hong Kong\u2019s Yik Hin Brandon Wong, 2-6, 2-6. Ryan Jeongwoo Choi also fell to Japan\u2019s Mao Tazuru, 0-6, 0-6.<\/p>\n

Then, toward the end of the day, the NMI\u2019s Siwoo Lee fell to the tourney\u2019s No. 2 in the boys division, Japan\u2019s Eita Suzuki, 0-6, 0-6, and the NMI\u2019s Simon Tang lost to Japan\u2019s Shuya Machida, 2-6, 0-6.<\/p>\n

In other matches, South Korea\u2019s Gyeom Do defeated Japan\u2019s Yuta Amano, 6-2, 6-1, and Hong Kong\u2019s Ying Chi Chloe Wong bested South Korea\u2019s Sun Park, 6-3, 6-0; and South Korea\u2019s Geon Hyeok Jeon breezed past Japan\u2019s Itsuki Umezawa, 6-3, 6-1.<\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s Junhyuk Seo made light work of Japan\u2019s Daiya Hino, 6-2, 6-2, and Japan\u2019s Aoi Yoshida routed Great Britain\u2019s Charlotte Perks, 6-2, 6-4.<\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s Tohko Takino edged Guam\u2019s Fremont Gibson, 6-1, 6-2, and South Korea\u2019s Jian Pyun beat Guam\u2019s Jonathan Jackson, 6-4, 6-1.<\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s Young Hoon Kim won via forfeit over Taiwan\u2019s Alex Lap Hang Hui, and countryman Kyoungman Kim defeated Chinese-Taipei\u2019s Caden Kuang-Bo Hsia, 6-3, 6-2.<\/p>\n

Then, Jun Hyuck Lee of South Korea beat Japan\u2019s Aoi Umezawa, 6-0, 6-2, and Australia\u2019s Darren Yann Junn Lew defeated South Korea\u2019s Taekyeon Lee, 6-4, 6-0.<\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s Misaki Sekido crushed South Korea\u2019s Yura Kang, 6-1, 5-2, and Hong Kong\u2019s Wan Him Donovan Yim blew past South Korea\u2019s Woo Yeon Na, 6-1, 6-2.<\/p>\n

When the Saipan Tribune<\/em> visited the courts at noon yesterday, the tourney was well underway under the blazing summer sun, just as a slight breeze continuously blew around the courts.<\/p>\n

There, Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association president and tourney director Jeff Race said that the tourney is great for NMI players as they could potentially earn ITF points if they win their matches.<\/p>\n

As to why NMI\u2019s La Hunn Lam wasn\u2019t in the tourney, Race said he was injured after the 2024 Citadel Guam World Tour earlier this month. He also won\u2019t be able to play for the NMI tennis team in the 2024 Micronesian Games in the Marshall Islands from June 15 to 24.<\/p>\n

Fifty-five junior netters from the NMI, Guam, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, U.S., Great Britain, and Chinese-Taipei are vying for ITF points in the tourney that ends on Saturday, June 2.<\/p>\n

An ITF J30 event is a junior event with 30 world ranking points for the winner. Players will play singles and doubles. It is the entry level event for emerging tennis players who are trying to acquire world ranking points to be accepted on the professional tour or win a scholarship to a U.S. college.<\/p>\n

The last time an ITF J30 event was held on Saipan was in 2019.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The NMI\u2019s Hoo Wang goes for a return during her game against NMI\u2019s Hannah Chae on the first day of the International Tennis Federation J30 Junior World Ranking Tournament yesterday at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan tennis courts.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
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