Muhammad Rafi Zafran Ferary is a champion. On Sunday at the ROKETTO Badminton Centre in Lidcombe, the Australian won his first international title, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu 21-19, 15-21, 21-7 in the men’s singles final at the ROKETTO Sydney International.
It was the longest match of the day at 70 minutes, and the third game was where it was settled. Huang is no stranger to the late rounds. He has plenty of semi-final and final finishes at Grade 3 tournaments across Europe, and he was in the conversation at all three of Oceania’s recent international challenges, reaching the semi-finals at the MAXX North Harbour International and the quarter-finals in Bendigo. Ferary got the better of him when it mattered.
A first final, and a proud one
For Oceania, the mixed doubles final was a moment of pride. Raphael Deloy (NZL) and Sydney Tjonadi (AUS) had never played an international final before, and Sydney was only their second tournament as a pair after Bendigo. They lost 21-13, 21-16 to Chinese Taipei’s Lu Chen and Yun Jung Chang, but they have a great deal to take from it.
Tjonadi said afterwards that she hadn’t expected to reach the final in only her second tournament with Deloy, and thanked him for playing with her. She added that the pair will train hard to improve for next time.
Chen defends her title
In the women’s singles, Chen Su Yu (TPE) successfully defended her title, defeating compatriot Tung Ciou-Tong 17-21, 21-14, 23-21 in a three-game final. Tung had defeated Chen two weeks earlier in the final of the MAXX North Harbour International. This was their fourth international meeting, and it was the first time Chen came out on top.
Ishida and Sato take the women’s doubles
Arisa Ishida and Akari Sato won the women’s doubles title, defeating Japanese compatriots Sora Hatakeyama and Yumi Tanabe 21-14, 21-10. It is Ishida’s first year playing internationally, while Sato has competed around the globe and has several Grade 3 titles to her name. The final was Hatakeyama’s first registered tournament on the BWF circuit.
Padiz and Villabrille end the Chinese Taipei run
The final match of the day was the men’s doubles, where Shao Hua Chiu and Lin Bing-Wei (TPE), the winners at both North Harbour and Bendigo, faced the Philippines’ Solomon Jr. Padiz and Julius Villabrille. The Filipino pair were semi-finalists at last year’s MAXX North Harbour International, where they made a big impact on both the tournament and the supporters in New Zealand.
In a tight match, they made it count, defeating the Chinese Taipei pair 21-18, 18-21, 21-13 across 51 minutes.
Finals results
Men’s singles: Muhammad Rafi Zafran Ferary (AUS) d. Huang Yu (TPE) 21-19, 15-21, 21-7
Women’s singles: Chen Su Yu (TPE) d. Tung Ciou-Tong (TPE) 17-21, 21-14, 23-21
Men’s doubles: Solomon Jr. Padiz/Julius Villabrille (PHI) d. Shao Hua Chiu/Lin Bing-Wei (TPE) 21-18, 18-21, 21-13
Women’s doubles: Arisa Ishida/Akari Sato d. Sora Hatakeyama/Yumi Tanabe (JPN) 21-14, 21-10
Mixed doubles: Lu Chen/Yun Jung Chang (TPE) d. Raphael Deloy (NZL)/Sydney Tjonadi (AUS) 21-13, 21-16
That’s a wrap on the ROKETTO Sydney International 2026, the last international challenge on Oceania’s calendar this year. Relive all the action by rewatching our livestream here. For full results, click here.
