Not only did Heo’s team, Hawaii Pacific University’s Sea Warriors, defeat GCU, they too prevailed over their sister school University of Hawaii-Hilo.
Hawaii Pacific University fell 2-1 during the doubles play but team player Petr Michnev teamed up with Ji Hoon Heo to rally past their foes, 8-5. Heo defeated GCU’s Ahmad Saleem, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
During the final hours of the competition HPU needed to win one of the final two matches to move forward with the competition. Their second and third singles weren’t holding up as both competitors were down 4-3 in the third set.
Despite having had to deal with a back problem and a groin injury, Heo came through, earning a 6-4 win against his opponent.
Heo bagged the 2009 Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association’s Student Athlete of the Year award. Heo brought home a gold medal from the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships held in Fiji last 2008 strengthening his bid as the best junior tennis player in the Pacific Oceania.
Heo then made it to the final round in the two men’s events in New Caledonia that earned for him a notch in the International Tennis Federation Junior World ranking.
In March of 2009 Heo had the skills to defeat a former NCAA tennis player during the Men’s Open Pacific Islands Club-Gatorade Tennis Tournament.
