PNG pair claim titles at meet

By JAMIE HARO
PAPUA New Guinea Junior tennis stars Colita Hakena and Pauline Hyun have claimed the Under-14 and U16 girls’ singles titles at the 2024 West Pacific Regional Championship in Lautoka, Fiji.
The pair were among a total of 14 PNG juniors that competed in Fiji and to earn a spot in the upcoming Pacific Oceania Junior Championship later in the year.
Hakena will now shift her focus to defending her U14 Oceania championship title while Hyun continued her recent success from the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara winning bronze, to win her first regional title.
The U12 girls team consisting of Cassandra Thomas and debutants Idau Anne Kaiulo and Rehoni Rumbam won silver in their event while the U12 boys team Andrew Aisi, Thomas Koliwan, and River Jordan Hakena bagged bronze.
It was a tough competition in the U14 boys’ singles division however Thomas Hyun and William Thomas managed to pick up bronze in the doubles after Team Fiji and Team Vanuatu.
Colita and Adelaide Mesa bagged gold in the U14 girls’ doubles against Fiji while Solomon Islands won the bronze.
John Louie Domalaon and Dante Kiapen were seeded in a much stronger U16 division that saw both miss out on medals although they finished strong in the position playoffs, while Pauline Hyun and teammate Nepheline Leah won silver in the U16 girls double finals. Fiji won gold and Vanuatu finished with bronze.
Meanwhile, Colita has been named in the Pacific Oceania Junior Tennis Team among seven other juniors for the upcoming ITF FIJI J30 tournament set to start today at the Lautoka Regional Tennis Courts.