Under-12 boys tennis squad looking forward to next event in July

PAPUA New Guinea Under-12 boys’ junior tennis team are excited and looking forward to another opportunity as they prepare for the 2024 Pacific Oceania Junior Championship set for Fiji in July.
This comes after PNG Tennis Association sent a team of 14 PNG juniors sponsored by Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited to compete at the 2024 West Pacific Regional Championship in Lautoka Fiji two weeks ago.
The U12 team currently consists of three debutants Andrew Aisi, River Jordan Hakena and Timothy Koliwan, who managed to win silver medal and qualified to represent not only PNG but the West Pacific region at the Pacific Oceania Junior Championship which will be held in Lautoka again.
“A first time experience for the three of us, we had good matches with other kids from other countries at the West Pacific Regional Championship,” Hakena said. “We felt great to win a medal at this championship because then we can qualify for the Pacific Oceania Junior Championship and do it and play a lot more players from the other countries like Tahiti and all that.”
Aisi said it was their first time playing on a different tennis court compared to the courts at the Port Moresby Racquets Club.
“It felt great representing PNG in another country, I liked each of games played at the WPRC, the courts were different but gave us a good experience,” Aisi said of their campaign.
Meanwhile, Timothy Koliwan said the competition taught them a valuable lesson as a team as they look forward to playing together in their next competition in July.
“We did our best in Fiji and came second,” he said.
“A first time for us but not a first on the courts because all of us started around five or six-years-old.”
PNG tennis juniors to represent West Pacific Regional team at the Pacific Oceania Championship on July 4-13 in Lautoka, Fiji include Idau Anne Kaiulo, Rehoni Rumbam, Cassandra Thomas (U12 girls), Andrew Aisi, Timothy Koliwan, River Jordan Hakena (U12 boys), Colita Hakena (U14 girls), Pauline Hyun (U16 girls).