Pictured: Kenneth Choo and Gronya Somerville, Australia. Photo Credit: Luis Veniegra Photography
Australia was in full force on the second morning of the YONEX Sydney International 2022, with at least one mixed doubles pair on each court to open proceedings.
Australia’s Jordan Yang and Maureen Wijaya were outplayed by the top seeds from Canada, while Joyce Choong (the current Oceania women’s doubles champion) partnered with Indonesia’s Frengky Putra to defeat fellow compatriots Jacob Schueler and Louisa Ma.
Australia’s budding youngsters and fifth seeds, Jack Yu and Kaitlyn Ea, became the first seeded casualty as they narrowly lost out to their Chinese Taipei opponents, before the reigning Continental Champions (Kenneth Choo and Gronya Somerville) succumbed to the third seeds, also from Chinese Taipei.
- Ty Lindeman/Josephine Wu (CAN)[1] vs Jordan Yang/Maureen Wijaya (AUS) 21-8 21-10
- Frengky Putry/Joyce Choong (INA/AUS) vs Jacob Schueler/Louisa Ma (AUS) 21-10 21-17
- Chang Ko-Chi/Lee Chih Chen (TPE)[3] vs Kenneth Choo/Gronya Somerville (AUS) 21-19 21-13
- Fang-Jen Lee/Cheng Yu-Pei(TPE) vs Jack Yu/Kaitlyn Ea (AUS)[5] 21-11 16-21 21-19
Tahiti’s Remi Rossi’s campaign came to an end against the young Indian star (bronze national junior medalist and world number 37 in the junior rankings) Lakshay Sharma. Meanwhile, Jack Yu later returned to court to shake up the men’s singles draw as he stunned the fifth seed from America. On the court parallel, Oceania’s reigning champion Edward Lau (NZL) saw off the challenge from his younger compatriot, Jaden Mingoa.
- Lakshay Sharma (IND) vs Remi Rossi (TAH) 21-18 21-18
- Jack Yu (AUS) vs Enrico Asuncion (USA)[5] 21-9 21-14
- Edward Lau (NZL)[8] vs Jaden Mingoa (NZL) 21-12 21-9
Oceania’s four-time women’s doubles champion (2017, 18, 19 and 20) Setyana Mapasa took to the courts with a different partner, Joyce Choong, who won the Continental title earlier this year alongside Sylvina Kurniawan. The pair brought an eclectic mix of deception and strength to the court to see past their Chinese Taipei opponents.
- Joyce Choong/Setyana Mapasa (AUS) vs Cheng Yu-Pei/Sun Wen Pei (TPE) 21-19 21-12
Meanwhile, two of New Zealand’s youngest women and Trans-Tasman Challenge competitors from last weekend tested their skills on the international stage – a first for Nanna Siegemund.
- Fu Chi Yan/Leung Yuet Yee (HKG) vs Nanna Siegemund/Camellia Zhou (NZL) 21-12 21-8
“It’s definitely harder [playing at this level] as there is a lot more coming back, it’s hard to win a point just from one good shot”, says Nanna.
“I agree with Nanna, It’s all about consistency. You have to work for it more and be patient“, says Camellia
Later on in the evening, New Zealand and Australia faced off in a hotly contested men’s doubles match that truly was anyone’s for the taking. Just one minute shy of the hour, the three-game thriller came right down to the wire, with the Australian’s pipping their neighboring peers to the post.
- Ying Xiang Lin/Kai Chen Teoh (AUS) vs Adam Jeffrey/Dylan Soedjasa (NZL) 26-24 24-26 21-19
Kenneth Choo, who finished runner-up in this year’s Oceania Championships (although playing alongside a new partner in Sydney), progressed into the next round after defeating an unexpected dual-nationality pairing: Singapore’s Danny Bawa Christnanta (multiple BWF Grand Prix and Grade Three tournament medalist and silver medalist at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games) and Jose Junior from Portugal, 57-years-old and playing in his first BWF Grade Three tournament.
- Kenneth Choo/Andika Ramadiansyah (AUS) vs Jose Junior/Danny Bawa Chrisnanta (POR/SGP) 21-11 21-11
Day three of competition will open with the mixed doubles once again, from 10am local time (AEDT). All of the matches on courts one and two are available to watch on the live stream (also available after the completion of matches), via Badminton Oceania’s YouTube Channel.
Moreover, all results are available to view on Tournament Software – click here to view.
Photos, videos and more content from day two are available to view on Badminton Oceania’s Facebook page. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #SydneyInternational22
