At the Hui An Cup 2009 National Jr Championships in Kaohsiung, Hong Kong's Abigail Chiu blanked G10 singles top seed Cai Wei-Ning in the quarterfinals before she was halted in the semis by No. 3 seed and eventual champion, Kan Pei-Yu, 6-2. In the B12 singles, qualifier Robin Nguy beat No. 6 seed Lo Chien-Hsun, 8-2, in the final to lift the title.

Abigail's final four showing was good enough to eventually see her place third overall in the G10s competition. She is the reigning Hong Kong National G10 singles champion.

Cai Wei-Ning (蔡維寧) is ranked second nationally in the G10 age group in Taiwan, while Kan Pei-Yu (簡培如) is ranked No. 8 on the 2008 year-end list.

Robin Nguy, currently ranked 8th in the B12 age group in Hong Kong, had earlier needed to win through four rounds of qualies just to make it to the maindraw proper. Buoyed by several upsets in his half of the draw, most notably the exit of No. 1 seed Or Shao-Man, ranked 7th nationally in Taiwan, Robin needed to face only two seeded players en route to victory, one of which, however, included the highly-touted Lo Chien-Hsun (駱建勛).

Abigail's older brother, Spencer, came through three qualifying rounds, but fell just one win shy of progressing to the maindraw. Others players from the territory who contested the B12 qualifying include Ching Kwan Long, Lo Lok Pui, Yuen Cheuk Yin, Russell Lam, Matthew Wong, and Stephen Wong.

Elsewhere, in the B18s, top-seeded Hsieh Cheng-Peng (ITF 27), who teamed up with compatriot Yang Tsung-Hua (ITF 1) to win the boys' doubles at both the Australian Open Jr Championships and Junior Wimbledon last year, was shocked by eventual champion, Mao Jui (ITF 711), in the round of eight, 9-8(2).

The G16 singles title went to No. 1 seed Hsieh Shu-Ying (ITF 440), the younger sister of Taiwanese Fed Cupper, Hsieh Su-Wei (WTA 80).

Last year, Kelvin Lam emulated Justin To's feat in 2007 by defeating No. 2 seed Zheng Feng-Shek, 7-5, 6-0, to bag the B14 singles title, while Eudice Chong and Christy Chan also claimed the G12 doubles crown.

Justin To, however, was not the first player from the territory to win the Hui An Cup, as that distinction belongs to Katherine Ip, who triumphed in the G10 Singles in 2004, with Monique Cheung also having won the G16 Doubles that year. Other players on that team included Brian Yeung (B10 Runner-up), Tyler Leung (B12 SF), Leung Lok Sze/Nicole Tsui (G12 Doubles SF), Tsang Pui Yee (G14 QF), and James Kong/Kevin Wong (B12 Doubles QF).

Although the Hui An Cup is a non-ITF ranking event, its overall standard of play should not be dismissed too hastily or without grounds. For it is unmistakable that Taiwan has produced a number of top juniors over the years – most notably during the past decade with the likes of Lu Yen-Hsun, Wang Yeu-Tzuoo, Hsieh Su-Wei, Chan Yung-Jan, and now Yang Tsung-Hua – who were not only capable of challenging for honours at the Junior Grand Slams, but also having done exceptionally well since joining the pro ranks.

Incidentally, just last month, Chinese Taipei's Yang Tsung-Hua and Thailand's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn became the first ever Asian boy and girl to clinch the year-end ITF Junior World Ranking. By doing so, they are also crowned 2008 ITF Junior World Champions.

Related Story: Yang and Lertcheewakarn named ITF Junior World Champions (itftennis.com, 17 Dec 2008)