With a huge entry in the men’s singles draw at the VICTOR Oceania Open Individual Championships 2019, day one was mainly dominated by the men’s singles draw. Later in the evening, the opening rounds of the women’s singles and the men’s doubles also got underway.
Australia’s Keith Edison was the only person to defeat a seeded player in the men’s singles draw, overcoming compatriot and eight seed, Jacob Schueler, in three gruelling games 21-16 18-21 21-17.
“I’m very happy with the win today. I feel like there is always room for improvement and I need to capitalise on my opponents weaknesses now” – Keith Edison, Australia
Meanwhile, the other seeded players (seeds 1-7) showed their experience and skills on the court as they all progressed through to the next round:
“It’s great to get a win under my belt on the first day, but we all know it only gets harder from here. I’m happy with my performance but I can’t relax now, I need to stay locked in and hope for a repeat result tomorrow” – Daniel Fan [2nd seed], Australia
“I felt pretty nervous to start with. It was a long match with three-sets and it was a battle of fitness and he also made a few unforced errors which worked in my favour. I’m taking it one match at a time – but I really hope to at least make the semi-finals in this tournament!” – Pit Seng Low [3rd seed], Australia
“The game started really fast and Eddy was playing really well. I managed to catch up and was happy with my performance. I wasn’t thinking too much about being on the live-stream court and was focusing on the game. I really hope to take the gold medal home on Thursday!” – Anthony Joe [4th seed], Australia
Elsewhere in the draw, the women’s singles and men’s doubles draw began in the late afternoon, with plenty of interest from the Pacific Islands as Tahiti, Samoa, New Caledonia and Fiji fielded their players. New Caledonia’s Melissa Sanmoestanom went the distance in three games against Fiji’s Sristi Nadan, eventually winning the game 21-23 21-13 21-7 in 30 minutes.
“I was very stressed and nervous as I was on a live-stream court. However, I feel more confident after playing and winning my first match. I feel good physically and hope to win again tomorrow.” – Melissa Sanmoestanom, New Caledonia
For many of the players at this year’s event, it is their first ever international tournament. Folole Loane of Samoa competed in her first game this evening against the experienced Australian Yingzi Jang. While Loane eventually lost the match in two games, it didn’t dampen her spirits:
“It was a great experience to compete here in Melbourne. I was in the hall this morning and was amazed at how good the junior players were so I knew the standard this evening would be even higher. This was my first time playing but I suspect it wasn’t hers! I know I have lots to work on but it was great to have this opportunity.” – Folole Loane, Samoa
All the results from day one at the VICTOR Oceania Open Individual Championships 2019 are available on Tournament Software.
The draw for day two is also available to view on Tournament Software.
