Port Moresby, January 9, 2023 – Papua New Guinea’s promising tennis talent, Colita ‘Coco’ Hakena, who embarked on a year-long tennis scholarship in New Zealand last week, is already making waves. Coco has earned a spot in tomorrow’s finals of the Margaret Court Cup in Albury, Australia, excelling in both the women’s Under-14 singles and A Grade singles categories.
It was a fitting birthday present as she turned 14 yesterday.
Dianne Hasavi, Coco’s proud mother, expressed, “Having attended the tournament for over two decades, the Oceania Touring Team celebrates Coco as the first PNG/Oceania girl to reach the finals. She secured her place by defeating the No. 1 seed in the semi-finals.
“Last year, Coco also played at this tournament, and made it as far as the semifinals. She has gone up one step further this year.”
Colita embarked a transformative journey last week as she secured a coveted year-long Oceania Tennis Federation (OTF)/International Tennis Federation (ITF) scholarship at the esteemed Lavie Academy in Auckland, New Zealand.
The young star, hailing from mixed Morobe and Bougainvillean parentage, bid farewell to Port Moresby on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, marking the commencement of her participation in the OTF/ITF Touring Team Programme 2024.
The primary aim of this groundbreaking intensive training programme is to offer crucial financial, competitive, and educational support to propel OTF players towards success at the Junior Grand Slam Championship, secure a US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scholarship, and proudly represent their country/region in the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.