Abigail Tere-Apisah won three tennis titles at the Pacific Games ©Pacific Games News Service/Karen Anaya

Northern Mariana Islands claimed two further tennis titles on a day when family ties were prominent at the Pacific Games.

Northern Mariana Islands' only gold of Samoa 2019 had come in the men’s team competition, with hopes of further success appearing to rest on their professional player Colin Sinclair.

Sinclair delivered in the men’s singles by securing a comfortable 6-0, 6-1 win over Papua New Guinea's Matthew Stubbings in the gold medal match.

Clement Mainguy of Vanuatu beat Tahiti’s Heimanarii Lai San 6-2, 6-4 for bronze.

Sinclair later teamed up with Carol Lee to come from a set down to level the mixed doubles up at 6-7, 6-3, before winning a super tie break 10-8 against Stubbings and Abigail Tere-Apisah.

Kalani Soli and Christian Duchnak of American Samoa overcame Cook Islands' Brett Baudinet and Tamara Anderson in the battle for bronze.

The final defeat ended Tere-Apisah’s hopes of winning four tennis gold medals at Samoa 2019, with one being last week’s team event.

She won individual gold by beating her niece Violet Apisah 6-2, 6-0, with Soli beating Samoan opposition in Steffi Carruthers for the bronze.

Tere-Apisah and Apisah then teamed up to defeat their younger sisters, respectively, Marcia Tere-Apisah and Patricia Apisah 6-0, 6-3 in the women’s doubles gold medal match.

The men’s doubles also proved a family affair with Tongan brothers Semisi and Matavano Fanguna clinching a 6-4, 6-4 win in the gold medal match against the Northern Mariana Islands’ Robert Schorr and Sinclair.

Samoan brothers Leon and Marvin So’onalole had earlier won a rain-delayed bronze medal match against New Caledonia 7-6, 3-6, 10-8.


Shooting competition concluded with two more gold medals claimed ©Pacific Games News Service
Shooting competition concluded with two more gold medals claimed ©Pacific Games News Service

New Caledonia had won both singles and team events in squash, so it came as little surprise when they swept the three gold medals in doubles.

Yann Lancrenon and Enzo Corigliano won the men’s title against their rivals from Papua New Guinea, while Christelle Nagle and Kareen Marshalle beat Samoan opposition in the women’s final.

The mixed doubles saw an all-New Caledonia affair, with Nagle and Lancrenon beating Vanessa Quach and Nicolas Massenet to the title.

While New Caledonia’s success appeared assured in the squash, the same could not be said for the women’s volleyball.

Their team would ultimately win a thrilling contest 25-13, 18-25, 17-25, 25-22, 15-7 against Tahiti to win the title for the first time since 1975 in Guam.

Samoa defeated Wallis and Futuna in straight sets 25-21, 26-24, 25-23 at the National University of Samoa to win bronze.

There was a second gold medal of the Games for Fiji’s Glenn Kable, who triumphed in the DTL point score shooting event.

He ended with a score of 299 out of a possible 300 in the individual competition, three points clear of second place Franco Caffareli of Samoa.

Tahiti’s Tuanua Degage won bronze on 295.

Tahiti were the gold medallists in the team event ahead of Samoa, while New Caledonia won bronze.