Today was tough for the five-strong Oceania contingent still in the SATHIO GROUP Australian Badminton Open 2025.
First up, Saena Kawakami (AUS) played world No. 22, Ling Hsiang Ti (TPE). The match was close, but especially in the second game, a series of errors from Kawakami gave Lin the opening she needed to separate herself. Final score – 21-17, 21-15.
Asher Jing Jie Ooi (AUS) faced the unstoppable Chou Tien Chen (TPE) in the men’s singles Round of 16.
Ooi held strong throughout the first game, scoring clever points against the world No. 6. However, as the match progressed, Chou’s physical prowess unveiled itself.
The Australian Junior Falcon had already progressed further than last year, where he was knocked out in the qualifying rounds.
A Round of 16 exit to one of the strongest players in the world is a win in itself, it’s a rare development opportunity for one of Oceania’s rising talents.
The young women’s doubles pair of Alphonsa Bijomon/Xiwen Liang also exit the tournament after a tough battle against one of the best new duos in the world, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari (INA).
In the mixed doubles, Andika Ramadiansyah/Nozomi Shimizu (AUS) threw themselves at every opportunity to score points.
Their opponents, Phuwanat Horbanluekit/Benyapa Aimsaard (THA) were an even match. However, the Thai players launched into action early in both games, forcing Ramadiansyah/Shimizu to play catch up constantly.
While the Australians bounced back from the deficit multiple times, their momentum stalled towards the send of the second game.
As a result, Horbanluekit/Benyapa Aimsaard ran away with the 21-17, 21-17 win to force the hometown favourites from the tournament.
Lastly, Tiffany Ho (AUS) faced Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, who is clearly in good form following her win at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025 last week. Ho’s tenacity was on full display, but she unfortunately could not match the world No. 4’s speed and power. She also exited the competition in the Round of 16.
Global Results
As the last opportunity for players to book their tickets to Hangzhou, China, for the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals, everyone left it all on the court.
Kodai Naraoka (KOR) was riding high off his first major win in two years at last week’s Kumamoto Masters Japan. With this boost to his rankings, he just needed to make it to the quarterfinals of the SATHIO GROUP Australian Badminton Open to secure his spot in next month’s finals.
However, Ayush Shetty disrupted Naraoka’s plans. The 20-year-old player from India secured the first game and was poised to close out the second in a timely fashion.
But it would be wrong to count out Naraoka that early. The Korean player dug deep to even the score, and the fight in his game was palpable.
Yet, Shetty’s composure seemed to rock his confidence. After a gruelling 68 minutes, Ayush Shetty won the match 21-17, 21-16.
“I managed to stay in the rallies,” Shetty explained as the reason for his winning performance. “He has a very good defence, so it was really important that I was not rushing for the points and managed to stay patient.”
Lin Chun-Yi (TPE) also keeps his World Tour Finals dreams alive with a 21-13, 19-21, 21-10 win over India’s Tharun Mannepalli.
Elsewhere on the courts, the Indonesian pair or Rachel Allessya Rose/Febi Setianingrum held off the second seeds, the ever-fighting Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi (JPN) to keep their campaign alive in the women’s doubles. The two game match lasted 72 minutes and culminated with a 25-23, 25-23 score.
