The Pacific Oceania Junior Tennis Team took part in the 2025 Australian Championships last week on the Gold Coast, Australia, with players from across the Pacific showing strong performances.

Vanuatu was also represented, as part of the Pacific Oceania team, which included players and coaches from countries like Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.

Vanuatu had two representatives: young tennis player Ashton Jacobe (Under-11) and coach Lorraine Banimataku. Coach Lorraine also joined other female coaches from the Pacific in a special 3-day training camp for women and girls before the championships began.

The junior competition had two categories: Under-11 (boys and girls) and Under-13 (boys and girls).

Ashton Jacobe, together with his Pacific teammate Thomsen, won their first two matches against Tasmania but lost their final match against New Zealand.

VBTC Sports spoke to the President of the Vanuatu Tennis Federation, Cyrille Maingy, who praised Ashton’s participation and described it as a great experience for a young player.

“vANUATU tENNIS IS VERY PROUD OF ITS ACHIEVEMENT, it was an excellent learning opportunity for our juniors,” he said.

Several Pacific players and teams managed to win matches during the championship, which ran from June 18 to 23. The event featured top junior teams from Australia and New Zealand, offering valuable competition and exposure for the Pacific region’s future tennis stars.