Men’s Singles
The two finalists from the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, Rémi Rossi (Tahiti) and Yohan De Geoffroy (New Caledonia) featured in each of tonight’s semifinals.
Rossi eased past his fellow compatriot and doubles partner, Léo Cucuel, to secure an opportunity to defend his title tomorrow. Meanwhile, the other semifinal was a heated contest as the second seeded Yohan had to recover from one game down and battle through a tremendous third and deciding game to overcome Tahiti’s Quentin Bernaix.
- Remi Rossi (TAH)[1] vs Léo Cucuel (TAH) 21-6 21-4
- Yohan De Geoffroy (NCL)[2] vs Quentin Bernaix (TAH)[3/4] 14-21 21-12 22-20
Women’s Singles
There were two huge upsets in the women’s singles as both top seeds were defeated in the semifinals.
Johanna Kou managed to better her score against Jenica Lesourd compared to her Mixed Team event result, however the 16-year-old Tahitian still managed to execute a mature game which saw her topple the top seeds once again. Meanwhile, the other ¾ seed from New Caledonia, Marine Souviat conquered the second seed in two frustratingly close games.
- Marine Souviat (NCL)[3/4] vs Mélissa Mi You (TAH)[2] 21-19 22-20
- Jenica Lesourd (TAH)[3/4] vs Johanna Kou (NCL)[1] 21-13 18-21 21-16
Men’s Doubles
Another big blow came in the men’s doubles draw as Tahiti asserted their dominance to deny New Caledonia an opportunity to compete for gold tomorrow. Glen Le Foll and Kyliam Scilloux put on an impressive show to defeat the top seeds in two consistent games. Joining them in tomorrow’s final will be fellow compatriots Remi and Leo, who defeated Quentin and the younger Elias Maublanc – who is making his Pacific Gsames debut.
- Glen Le Foll/Kyliam Scilloux (TAH) vs Lucas Juillot/Carl N’Guela (NCL)[1] 21-14 21-15
- Léo Cucuel/Remi Rossi (TAH)[2] vs Quentin Bernaix/Elias Maublanc (TAH) 21-11 21-16
Women’s Doubles
The women’s doubles discipline saw the top two seeds through to tomorrow’s gold medal match. Janelle and Jenine put on a strong performance infront of an excited home crowd as they became the last hope of breaking the mold, which consistently sees players from Tahiti and New Caledonia qualifying for the final. They had opportunities to close out the first game, but the second seeded Tahitians held their ground to win 21-19, returning to the court with a menacing change of tactics to see out the match out with a convincing 21-7 win in the second.
- Johanna Kou/Marine Souviat (NCL)[1] vs Hortensia Manzanal/Waianuhea Teheura (TAH) 21-5 21-15
- Jenica Lesourd/Melissa Mi You (TAH)[2] vs Janelle Pangilinan/Jenine Savellano (NMA) 21-19 21-7
Mixed Doubles
The mixed doubles also saw the top two seeds through to tomorrow’s gold medal match. The results mean that Marine Souviat (New Caledonia) joins Rémi in another impressive feat – qualifying for all three possible gold medal matches.
- Yohan De Geoffroy/Marine Souviat (NCL)[2] vs Léo Cucuel/Ingrid Ateni (TAH) 21-13 21-15
- Remi Rossi/ Mélissa Mi You (TAH)[1] vs Quentin Bernaix/May Gaymann (TAH) 21-13 21-16
View all photo highlights from today in the Facebook Photo Album.
The gold medal finals and bronze medal matches will get underway from 10am tomorrow morning (local time, GMT+10).
Follow the draw on Tournament Software and watch all the matches on courts one and two on the live stream.
