Association prepares juniors for regional tennis championships

By JACK AMI
THE Papua New Guinea Tennis Association is preparing 11 junior athletes for the West Pacific Regional Championships which will be held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from April 21-26.
PNGTA president Barbara Stubbings said the contingent, selected on merit, was made up of six girls and four boys.
She said the girls were Petronella Embetaya, Doris Bebes (Under-16), Michaela Mesa, Namet Sanewai (U14), Pauline Hyun, Colita Hakena and Nepheline Leah (U12).
The boys are Christopher Kaiulo, Sugarray Hakena (U14), Thomas Hyun and Elisha Romney (U12).
Stubbings said Embetaya attended the 2017 edition in Fiji, and Mesa and Kaiulo in Vanuatu last year. The rest are newcomers hoping to do well.
“This event is made possible through the assistance of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Oceania Tennis Federation, Port Moresby Racquets Club and various sponsors of tennis in the country,” she said.
Stubbings said after the Vanuatu tournament, the contingent would turn their attention to the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji in August.
“This is to compete against the best players in the North Pacific and East Pacific,” she said.
“If the players are lucky then all eyes are on the Oceania Championships against Australia and New Zealand.”
Players will also be identified by ITF to attend the regional training centre under an education scholarship in Fiji.
She said it was a great opportunity and pathway created for junior development in the region.