Quarterfinals – Saturday 6 August 2022
Australia’s and New Zealand’s remaining competitors were in quarterfinal action on Saturday 6 August, with one pair going the distance in the women’s doubles to qualify for Sunday’s semifinals.
New Zealand’s eighth seeds were first up on court, against Singapore’s world number 35 and third seeds, Terry Hee and Jessica Tan. The Singaporean’s were fast out of the starting blocks, with Terry Hee playing with a particularly attacking style in the forecourt which allowed the pair to carry a convincing lead throughout both games to book their spot in the semifinal.
Terry Hee/Jessica Tan (SGP)[3] vs Oliver Leydon-Davis/Anona Pak (NZL)[8] 21-11 21-11
Their match was followed by Oceania’s seven-time continental champion, Wendy Chen. The seventh seeded Australian was up against the fourth seed from Singapore, Jia Min Yeo. While Wendy Chen was able to hold her own against the higher ranked opponent, Jia Min Yeo was able to find the answers at the most crucial moments to book her semifinal spot.
Jia Min Yeo (SGP)[4] vs Wendy Chen (AUS)[7] 21-15 21-15
Into the evening session, the men’s doubles pairs from Australia were up against some of the world’s top ranked players. Nathan Tang and Jacob Schueler were outplayed by India’s world number seven duo Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, while Tran Pham and Jack Yu were ousted by England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy who were encouraged by a vocal home crowd.
Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (IND)[2] vs Jacob Shcueler/Nathan Tang (AUS) 21-11 21-9
Ben Lane/Sean Vendy (ENG) [3] vs Tran Pham/Jack Yu (AUS) 21-9 21-11
Meanwhile, Australia’s Gronya Somerville and Wendy Chen produced a stunning upset to overcome the third seeds from Canada. The marathon match lasted 101 minutes long and featured several lengthy rallies lasting up to 117 strokes. In the crucial moments, the Australian’s took the initiative to step up the attack and confront the third seeds, causing the biggest upset of the women’s doubles draw so far.
Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen/Gronya Somerville (AUS) vs Rachel Honderich/Kristen Tsai (CAN)[3] 18-21 21-15 21-16
Semifinals – Sunday 7 August 2022
In Sunday morning’s session, the Australian’s were up against home favourites and second seeds Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith, who were amped by a vocal home crowd. It was a slow start for the Australians, but Wendy and Gronya returned to the court with a determined spirit to contend with the English pair. Both pairs enjoyed a run of five consecutive points, but remained within close reach of each, building up to an exciting 20-20 score line, requiring extension. On the third time of asking, Chloe and Lauren sealed the victory to the delight of the home crowd, leaving Gronya and Wendy with one more match this evening in the bronze medal playoff.
Chloe Birch/Lauren Smith (ENG)[2] vs Wendy Chen/Gronya Somerville (AUS) 21-14 24-22
Bronze medal match – Sunday 7 August 2022
Wendy and Gronya will be back on court in the bronze medal match this evening, from 7.30pm local time (BST).
Standing in their way of the bronze medal will be India’s fourth seeds Jolly Treesa and Gayatri Pullela. The Australian’s can enter the match with the confidence of knowing they can win the bronze, having defeated the same pair last week in the mixed team event.
Follow their progress on the official tournament website here.
