Tournaments on the tour returned to Fiji in July for the first time since 2019 after being interrupted for two years because of the pandemic. This year both tournaments were Grade 4 (J4) events and attracted excellent fields with players from more than a dozen countries despite there still being restrictions on travel and air routes yet to re-open. There were enough players for qualifying to be needed both weeks with nearly 100 players in total making it a very busy week on the six freshly painted courts.
It was the 20th edition of the South Pacific Open Junior Championships which was first held in Lautoka in 2001. Without the ITF regional training centre operating in Fiji the tournament was dominated by overseas players. In the boys singles second seed Diego Quispe-Kim (NZL) outwitted top seed Reiya Hattori from Japan in two sets. Number one seed Jo-Leen Saw from Malaysia was totally dominant in the girls singles winning all her matches comfortably including the final over Erica Hagi from Hong Kong. There was success for the host nation when Storm Cornish won through to the last 16 earning himself ITF ranking points and getting back a world junior ranking which had before the pandemic. The boys doubles final was a thriller between the top two seeds with the Japanese pairing of Hattori and Shingo Masuda prevailing over Christian Salmeron and Marcus Schoeman (AUS) 57 62 10-6. The girls doubles was also a two hour marathon won by Australian pairing Elektra Arseniou and Susannah Su 10-6 in the match tiebreak over Kakou Narita (JPN) and Annette Robertson (USA)
Diego Quispe-Kim (NZL) and Reiya Hattori (JPN)
The second tournament, Oceania Open Junior Championships, which had been upgraded to J4 for the restart of the circuit, proved to be a good one for Pacific players. Storm Cornish again won through to the round of 16 in singles and then combined with Zachary Sands (VAN) to reach the doubles final where they were beaten by the fourth seeds Mudiwa Munyimai (AUS) and Diego Quispe-Kim. Zorika Morgan (SOL) and Roselyn Tupuola (SAM) upset the fourth seeds in the irls doubles 11-9 in the match tiebreak to progress to the quarter finals of the doubles and earn themselves ITF world ranking points.
The singles events in the second week were again dominated by Jo-Leen Saw and Diego Quispe -Kim who captured back to back titles. For Quispe-Kim the final against Marcus Schoeman was his toughest of the two weeks but he managed to squeeze out the first set in a tiebreaker and win in straight sets to go the two weeks without losing a set.
Overall the tournaments were a great success played in fine, hot weather. The players enjoyed their Fiji experience and the friendliness of the local organisers as well as an opportunity to play against players from a lot of other countries for the first time since 2019.
(Written by Pat O ‘ Rourke -Referee)