According to Northern Marianas Islands Tennis Association president Jeff Race, Ackerman will live with a dozen top netters in the Pacific for daily morning physical training, tennis training, and education.
In January, Ackerman will be part of the Pacific Oceania Touring Team at Australia, where she will join Rafael Jones, Christian Miller, and Thea Minor in three separate tournaments at Melbourne.
“The players will also make a trip to the Australian Open,” said Race.
Meanwhile, Negahr Rastguiy will travel to New Zealand in December this year to play in three more tournaments at Hamilton, Gisbourne, and Auckland. At Gisbourne, she is currently the defending champion in the girls singles and doubles events.
“Having five players selected is the most the Northern Marianas Islands has ever had and this reflects the dedication of these players, the sacrifices of their parents, and the hard work of their coaches,” Race added.
Last June, both Rastguiy and Ackerman dominated the girls 12U division of the 2011 North Pacific Qualifying Event with Carol Lee and Palau’s Ayana Rengiil. Miller, Jones, and Minor also represented the NMI at the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships.
