Day two of the CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International saw emotions run high and rivalries take centre stage as players fought through the Round of 16. With new pairings and intense matchups, the tournament continued to deliver drama and excitement across every event. As the field narrows, anticipation builds for what promises to be a gripping quarterfinal round.
Mixed Doubles:
Not very often does a player take on their coach in an international competition. For 15-year-old Lina Tsukagoshi (NMP), this prospect became a reality when she and her mixed doubles partner, Billy Li (NZL), faced her coaches, Daniell Pablo and Janelle Pangilinan (NMP).
“I was very nervous going against my coaches,” said Tsukagoshi. “They’ve been coaching me since I started badminton, so I’m happy that it turned out this way.”
The young inter-country duo shot to an early lead, but the experience from Pablo/Pangilinan evened the score and forced a third game. Despite this being one of their first competitions as a pair, Li/Tsukagoshi showed class and composure to win the final game.
“We live in different countries, so we can’t really practice with each other,” explained Li. “For us, communication has been key on the court.”
They will be joined by the likes of An Yun Seong/Lee Yu Lim (KOR) and Yu Hsiang Chou/Yuan Chi Liao (TPE) in the quarterfinals.
Men’s Singles:
CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open MS champion, Yudai Okimoto (JPN), faced number two seed, Malaysia’s Kok Jing Hong. Early in the match, Hong dictated the pace. When given the opportunity, his powerful smash left Okimoto scrambling. However, the Japanese player’s agility worked to his advantage, and he was able to refocus to win the match 17-15, 15-13.
The match between Toma Noda (JPN) and Jia Wei Joel Koh (SGP) was the longest match of the day. Over a gruelling 56 minutes, the two traded leads continuously. After stretching to win the first, Noda seemed to lose focus in the second, which Koh capitalised on immediately. In the third game, the Japanese player could not shake his opponent. In the latter half of the game, Noda could never go up by more than a single point. The tension continued to rise as the opponents refused to give in. Eventually, Noda got the win—16-14, 10-15, 20-18.
New Zealand’s Edward Lau, also progressed to the quarterfinals.
Women’s Singles
Mikaela Joy De Guzman had a standout performance on day two of the CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International 2025.
In an impressive display of strength, Mikaela Joy De Guzman (PHI) came from behind to seal a win against number four seed Disha Gupta (USA). The American stretched De Guzman out to secure the first game 15-9. Yet, there was a turning point following the interval in the second. De Guzman found her footing and rallied back to take both the second and third games to book her spot in the quarterfinals.
Number one seed, Tanya Hemanth (IND), is also safely through to the quarterfinals after a slow start against Japan’s Nodoka Sunakawa. After falling 4-15 to Sunakawa in the first game, Hemanth proved why she is a major contender with convincing 15-9, 15-7 second and third game wins to see her through to the next round.
Men’s Doubles:
The final match of the day was a fierce battle between An Yun Seong/Park Kyung Hoon (KOR) and second seeds, Chia Wijie/Lwi Sheng Hao (MAS). With long rallies and clean moves from both sides early on, it was impossible to pick who would win. The pair from Malaysia took the first game 13-15, while An/Park refocused to claim the second. As the game progressed, the Korean pair tired. With a few unforced errors from the Korean duo, Chia/Lwi exploited this disruption to hammer a few quick points. This proved costly for An/Park, as the Malaysian partners came from behind to win the final game 15-13.
The CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open 2025 MD winners, Kakeru Kumagai/Hiroki Nishi (JPN) are still in the running for the tournament title after defeating New Zealand’s Raphael Deloy/Adam Jeffrey 15-4, 15-9.
