Quarterfinals
Home town advantage may have worked in Edward Lau and Shaunna Li’s favour as they started the proceedings on court today with another convincing win, this time over Australians Ricky Tang and Kaitlyn Ea. Meanwhile, the newly formed pair of Vincent Tao and Gronya Somerville are constantly improving with each match played and it showed against Julian Mao Lun Lee and Joanne Zheng (AUS), winning in straight games.
Also progressing to the mixed doubles semifinals are Dylan Soedjasa and Camillia Zhou (NZL) and Dacmen Vong (NZL) and Priska Kustiadi (AUS).
The men’s and women’s singles produced some long matches with many going to three games. Number one seed, Tiffany Ho (AUS) started strong winning the first game 21-17 before seemingly to lose focus in the second. The third, and decider was a tight contest with Ho claiming the win and a place in the women’s semifinals.
Local player, Shaunna Li was not pushed in her women’s singles match against Australian Sydney Tjonadi, winning easily in straight games. Edward Lau equally eased through his men’s singles match, dispatching his Australian opposition 21-9 21-13.
Shrey Dhand (AUS) will come up against Edward Lau in the semi finals, a repeat of the Oceania Championships 2024 final, after his marathon match against compatriot Ricky Tang.
The women’s doubles saw the longest match of the session between number one seeds, Victoria & Sydney Tjonadi and fellow Australian’s Maureen Clarissa Wijaya and Mimi Ngo. The 70 minute epic clash had both sides fighting for every point as the lead changed multiple times. Wijaya and Ngo, who are unseeded, took the match to the top seeds, finally closing out the decider 16-21 27-25 22-20.
The seeds kept falling in the men’s doubles when Keith Mark Edison and Jack Yu (AUS) were unable to find their rhythm against Vincent Tao and Dacmen Vong. The New Zealand pair disrupted the flow of the Australians, and although the kiwis narrowly lost the second game, they came back to win the third and final, securing their place against Huaidong Tang and Frederick Zhao (AUS) in the semifianls.
Semifinals
The VICTOR Oceania semifinals will be a trans-tasman encounter with only Australian and New Zealand players left in the draw.
Jack Yu kept his campaign alive with a convincing win over his Falcon’s team mate Ephraim Steven Sam. Shrey Dhand, in a replay of the 2024 men’s singles final gave Edward Lau a fright when he took the second game, sending the match to an exciting third. With both players hungry for the win and a place in the final, Lau moved ahead to win the third and final game.
Adam Jeffrey and Dylan Soedjasa will be flying the New Zealand flag in the men’s doubles against the pair from Australia who have a combination of experience and youth. Huaidong Tang, winner of the 2024 men’s doubles title, is back to try and make it two from two with current partner, Australian Falcon, Frederick Zhao.
The newly formed pair of Vincent Tao and Gronya have surged through the draw, upsetting more established combinations to cement their place in tomorrow’s final. They will face the in-form partnership of Edward Lau and Shaunna Li who have looked untroubled up to this point in the competition.
Lining up in the women’s doubles will be Australia on both sides of the court. Gronya Somerville, will take to the court twice on finals day with relatively new partner, Angela Yu. Their young oppostion of Maureen Clarissa Wijaya and Mimi Ngo fought through a three game match at the end of the semi final schedule to keep their campaign alive.
Keep up with the schedule and results here…
Live Stream here…
Finals begin at 11am – Sunday 16 February
