Day one of the VICTOR Oceania Junior Mixed Team Championship was nothing short of enthralling. WIth the homecourt advantage, Northern Marianas proved that they are a team to watch, while the favourites flew through their ties.
Here’s your rundown of all of today’s action.
Session 1
The tournament couldn’t have gotten off to a hotter start than on Court 1. Third seeds and hometown heroes took on the formidable Cook Islands team.
Thanks to Makea Pauka and Te Pa Tupa, the Cook Islands took an early lead. The three-game mixed doubles match saw both teams trading blows, but it was the strength of the Cooks that saw them surge to the win.
Kaiyin Mataio showed his dominance in the men’s singles, taking the match in straight sets over NMP’s Marlon Bautista (15-5, 15-9).
It was Lina Tsukagoshi that changed the tide of the game. The young local’s tenacity rewarded her with the win over Lana Toa, and the Northern Marianas’ first point of the tie.
“Going into the match, I was nervous as I went up against her before and she won,” Lina said. “But I kept composed and kept going and played the game. My parents were watching, so I’m pretty proud of myself that I was able to get the win.”
Continuing to build momentum from Lina, Jude Mallari and Dave Odicta pulled away with a win in the men’s doubles after Cook Islands, Kaiyin Mataio and Edward Patai forced a third-game decider.
After equalising the score, Lina and Shaina Malonzo finally secured the tie for the Northern Marianas. Winning their match 15-9, 15-5 against Lana Toa and Te Pa Tupa.
A storybook start to the tournament for the Northern Marianas, the hometown team will look to continue this form throughout the competition
Australia dominated their opening tie against Fiji, keeping their opponents in the single digits throughout the entire tie.
New Zealand also began their campaign with finesse. With a 5-0 win against Tahiti, the only time they looked threatened was in the men’s singles, with Mike Mi You (TAH) taking the first game. However, Eric Lu regained control of the match in the second game to take the match comfortably (7-15, 15-9, 15-6).
Session 2
Tahiti returned to the court to face Australia in their second tie of the day. Despite pouring everything they had into the tie, Tahiti could not crack the Falcons. Continuing the pattern of earlier today, Australia refused to let Tahiti break into double digits in any game and won the tie 5-0.
Cook Islands and New Zealand met on Court 2. Cook Islands fought hard, but struggled to make inroads against the Kiwi team. Kaiyin Mataio (COK) played an impressive performance against New Zealand’s Jay Xuan Tan in the men’s doubles, but it was not enough. New Zealand left the court with a 5-0 win over the Cooks.
Fiji had regrouped from their earlier defeat to Australia and entered their tie against Guam swinging. In the mixed doubles, Kevin Du and Leilah Chung stayed calm throughout a close battle with Yu Xuan Xia and Offeia Yordy to emerge with a 15-10, 15-13 victory.
Maliti Chung then took the court in women’s singles, facing off against Kristine Deng. In her first off-island singles appearance, she dictated the play in the first game. Kristine dug deep in the second game, with the prospect of a third game quickly approaching. However, the dream of the decider game slipped out of Guam’s hands, with Maliti hanging on for a 16-14 second game win, securing the event point.
“It was my first appearance at an international tournament, so I was very nervous to play. My coach helped me to get through it, so I’m very happy.” – Maliti Chung, Fiji
Guam’s Allan Zeng flexed his technical ability, comfortably winning the men’s singles event with a score of 15-9, 15-7 against Ethan Gibson.
Cousins Leilah and Maliti Chung returned to the court in the women’s doubles. Steadying their nerves, the pair managed to push for the win, securing Fiji’s first tie win.
“Our mindset was just to set up for each other, and with the help of our coach, she helped us to cool down our nervous system and play well.” – Leilah Chung
In the men’s doubles, Yu Xuan Xia and Allan Zeng played Kevin Du and Ethan Gibson. It took three games to find a winner, but after 26 minutes, the Guam duo pulled away with the win (15-12, 13-15, 15-8).
In the end, Fiji won the tie 3-2.
Session 3
Australia once again proved why they are the top seed of the competition. Cook Islands struggled to settle into a rhythm, chasing shots throughout the tie. Australia managed to close the tie out in just under an hour, winning 5-0.
On Court 2, Northern Marianas and Fiji both were riding the high of their earlier wins. Four of the five matches could have fallen either way, with several games going past the standard 15 points.
Despite the close matches, it was the local team that walked away with the point in each event, finishing the tie with a 5-0 win over the Fijian squad.
After a difficult start to the tournament, Tahiti finally found their footing. The Guam team battled fiercely, but could not disrupt the tempo set by the French territory. In the end, Tahiti ended their day with a 5-0 win.
Coming Up Tomorrow
First up tomorrow, Guam will look to win their first tie against the Cook Islands on court one.
Australia and Northern Marianas will meet on court two. Will the power of the homecourt help the Northern Marianas to upset the number one seed?
On court three, New Zealand faces Fiji.
