The final day of competition at the VICTOR Oceania Badminton Championships was filled with excitement as athletes gave their all in the last push for victory.
Mixed Doubles
Starting with the mixed double competition, number one seeds Edward Lau and Shaunna Li (NZL) took to the court looking to finish one place higher than last year’s runner up position. However, across the net, Vincent Tao (NZL) and Gronya Somerville (AUS) brought an intensity from the first point that seemed to stun the Kiwis.
The Trans-Tasman duo command of the match, coming away with a first match win (21-18) and leading through the halfway point of the second. Late into the game Lau and Li found their footing and clawed back to take the second match 21-14.
In the end, Tao and Somerville regained their focus to take back the lead and win final match 21-18. For them, they knew the small things would make the difference in such a close match.
“We needed to drill back into our game plan because it got away from us a little bit,” said Somerville. “We knew what we had to do, we just had to action it going into the third. We were focused on staying disciplined in the game plan and playing the way we needed to.”
Men’s Doubles
In the men’s doubles, Australia pair of Huaidong Tang and Frederick Zhao faced off against the hometown team of Adam Jeffrey and Dylan Soedjasa.
The New Zealanders dominated the match immediately, quickly winning the first game 21-13. Tang and Zhao fought hard, but Jeffrey and Soedjasa were too strong and finished out the second game 21-10.
Jeffrey and Soedjasa said they felt they had something to prove, especially against a home crowd.
“We had the team event to start with and losing to Australia made us more motivated to push harder,” said Soedjasa. “Last year we were runner up so in the last year we’ve tried to train harder and come back stronger. We’ve definitely stepped up our level and we are happy we could execute today in the final.”
Women’s Doubles
Gronya Somerville returned to the court with women’s doubles partner Angela Yu (AUS) to play compatriots Mimi Ngo and Maureen Clarissa Wijaya (AUS).
The teen duo of Ngo and Wijaya held their own for a while and stayed competitive throughout the match. Eventually, however, Somerville and Yu’s experience and power proved to be too much for the youngsters and they came away with a 21-10, 21-12 win.
Women’s Singles
In the most thrilling match of the day, Olympian Tiffany Ho (AUS) matched up against runner-up from the mixed doubles, Shaunna Li.
With long rallies, high intensity and constant momentum, the two players traded blows for over an hour.
Neither player gave their opponent an inch, Ho eventually won the first game 25-23. After a short break, Li refocused to power to a 21-10 second game win.
In the third game, Li took an early lead, but Ho dug deep to even the score. Despite a last minute surge from Ho, it wasn’t quite enough. The Kiwi’s tactical prowess led her to a 21-18 win on her homecourt to reclaim the VICTOR Oceania Women’s Singles title.
Men’s Singles
Following the mixed doubles, men’s number one seed, Edward Lau fell ill. He was unable to attend the medal ceremony and subsequently decided to withdraw from the competition.
This meant the men’s singles final was a walkover and Australia’s Jack Yu was awarded the title.
Congratulations to the champions for their exceptional performance, and a heartfelt thank you to all participants, coaches, and fans for their unwavering support. We look forward to seeing even greater achievements in the future as we continue to celebrate the spirit of badminton.
For a full rundown of the results, click here.
