Samoa’s Charles Iamanu Faalogoifo could be up against the first seed in front of a home crowd in Samoa. The young player sprung onto the scene at this year’s VICTOR Oceania Junior Championships and has made the cut for the home team in the 2019 Pacific Games.
In the first round of the Men’s Singles, he will take on New Caledonia’s Bryan Nicole, with the successor going on to play against Tahitian first seed Rémi Rossi who has received a bye into the second round.
New Caledonia’s second seed Ronan Ho-Yagues has high hopes of meeting Rémi Rossi in the final, but will have to overcome Fiji’s Martin Feussner in the first round, to set up a meeting against Tongan or Samoan opposition.
Tahiti’s Louis Beaubois is a name to keep your eye on too. Earlier this year at the VICTOR Oceania Junior Championships, the 17-year-old shuttler delivered a stunning blow to higher ranked New Zealand opposition. If both players win their first two matches, we could see a Beaubois/Ho-Yagues Quarter-Final on day two of the individual competition.
In the Women’s Singles, all four seeds have received a bye into the second round, with Fiji’s Danielle Whiteside topping the draw as first seed. Looking to defend her cousin’s title from eight years ago, Whiteside will face the winner of Ingrid Ateni (Tahiti) and Peta Teo’s (Samoa) first round clash.
The unseeded, yet experienced, Johanna Kou (New Caledonia) took silver in 2007 and bronze in the 2011 Pacific Games. This year, she returns to the event with a first-round match against Samoa’s Malia Ausage-Pepe. If she plans to fill in the missing spot for the Gold medal, it is likely that Kou will have to surpass the second seed, Esther Tau (Tahiti) in the Quarter-Finals and fourth seed, Melissa Sanmoestanom (New Caledonia) in the Semi-Finals.
Kou enters the Women’s Doubles draw as the first seed, set on a course to defend her Gold medal finish in the two previous games alongside her new partner, Dgeniva Matauli. The pair received a bye into the first round and will be challenged by the winner of Angel Reti/Cherish Reti (Samoa) and Lata Isitolo and Litea Tatafu (Tonga).
Samoan second seeds Leone Caffarelli and Folole Ioane also received a bye into the second round and will meet the winners of the first-round match between Tinabora Tekeiaki/Teitiria Utimawa (Kiribati) and Coralie Bouttin/Esther Tau (Tahiti).
New Caledonia’s Ronan Ho-Yagues and Morgan Paitio top the draw as first seeds, opening against Northern Marianas’ N. Guerrero and Jordan Pangilinan – who are taking part in their first Pacific Games event. A potential hurdle to New Caledonia’s quest for Gold could come in the Semi-Finals, in the shape of fourth seed Tahitian’s Rémi Rossi and R. Goguenheim .
The fourth seeds will have to overcome Samoa’s Joetel Ng Lam and Kennedy Simanu first, with the winners going on to face the winners between Louis Beaubois/Manuarii Ly (Tahiti) and 2011 Bronze Medallist Burty Molia and his new partner Ryan Fong.
Samoa’s very own third seeds, Tupu Fua and Hilton Samuelu Soo will be looking to impress in front of a home crowd in their first-round match against the Solomon Island’s Brandon Clifford Guan and Zi Rong Guan. If the pair live up to their seedings, it is likely they will face New Caledonia second seeds, Yohan De Geoffroy and Bryan Nicole in the Semi-Finals.
Finally, the Mixed Doubles will provide a fierce contest with 27 pairs looking to take the title. Tahiti’s Tarepa Bourgery and Ingrid Ateni top the draw as the first seeds and receive a bye into the second round. They’ll be up against Tonga’s Renaey Naaniumotu and Lata Isitolo or Samoa’s Kennedy Simanu and Peta Teo.
Johanna Kou will partner up with Morgan Paitio as second seeds, looking to go one better than her silver medal in 2011. The pair also receive a bye into the second round and will face either Taniela Ngaue or Mele Kei of Tonga, or Tupu Fua and Leone Caffarelli from Samoa.
The individual event gets underway from Thursday 11 July 2019 with the finals taking place on Saturday 13 July 2019.
Check out the full draw on Tournament Software.
