With day 2 of the VICTOR Oceania Junior Championships 2025 done and dusted, we are one step closer to finding our champions.
Heart-stopping moments and roaring cheers filled the Gilbert C. Ada Gym in Saipan today, with players putting everything on the line for glory.
Here’s the highlights of today’s action:
Round of 16
The results heavily fell in the favour of front-runners, but one competitor looked to shake things up in the men’s singles round of 16.
Tahiti’s Matt Chagnot has made a name for himself this week in Saipan, with some exceptional performances in the men’s doubles with his partner, Mike Mi You (TAH).
Chagnot drew men’s singles number eight seed, Billy Li (NZL) in the round of 16. In a situation where some may shy away from the opportunity, he stepped into the challenge. With poise and composure, the Tahiti player won the first game, 21-17. After the break, Li took an early lead in the second game, going up 17-12. But it was not over just yet, and Chagnot clawed his way back to even the score. In the end, it was too little too late, and Li snuck away with the second game (21-19). This momentum proved to be dangerous, and Li reaffirmed himself as one of the players to watch in the rest of the tournament, coming away with the third game win to win the match (17-21, 21-19, 21-14).
At the same time, the second mixed double seeds, Landon Kurniawan and Maureen Wijaya faced Lezhi Zhu and Qixuan Yang (NZL) on Court 2.
“We were pretty nervous going into the match,” said Wijaya. “Knowing we were playing New Zealand in the first round was quite a bad draw.”
The Kiwis took the first game, 21-17. The favourites found their footing in the second game, forcing the decider with a 21-16 win.
The Australian pair began the third game in control, but the Kiwis refused to let up. Each time Kurniawan and Wijaya capitalised, Zhu and Yang eliminated the deficit. The lead switched several times in the final 10 points of the game.
The tension was palpable on the side lines, and both sides’ supporters were cheering them to victory. In the end, the Australians held their composure enough to hit their way to victory.
“We obviously wanted to win so looking back to our coaches, especially for moral support, helped us keep composed through the rest of the two sets,” said Kurniawan. “We continued to fight our hardest knowing that we’ve been training and working hard for this tournament.”
The final score was (17-21, 21-16, 21-19).
Quarter Finals
Victoria Tjonadi (AUS) met her match in the quarter finals of the women’s singles. The number one seed lined up against Lillian Cao (NZL) on Court 1 for a spot in the semi finals.
It was the Kiwi who stretched out to an early lead, commanding the court to take the first game by a slim margin. Continuing her form, Cao was poised to snatch the second game, however, Tjonadi’s self-assurance shone through. Taking a second to gather herself, she rallied back from the deficit to steal the second game 21-18. From there, the Australian went from strength to strength, comfortably closing out the match with a 21-14 last game.
Over on Court 2, it was a national clash as Australia’s Wey Shawn Ng challenged fourth seed Jayden Lim in the men’s singles. The match seemed like it could go either way, with both players dominating sections of the games. In a display of true grit, it was Ng that dug deep to secure the win (21-19, 21-18).
There was one quarter final different from the rest — a Tahiti versus Cook Island matchup in the men’s singles.
Kaiyin Mataio and Edward Patai (COK) attacked from the start, but despite falling behind, the Tahiti duo of Matt Chagnot and Mike Mi You remained steadfast. Eventually, the two Tahiti players were rewarded with a 23-21, 21-19 win over their Pacific counterparts.
“It was a really stressful game because there was so much on the line,” said Chagnot. “It’s the first time we’ve managed to get this far in a competition so we’re really proud. Tahiti doesn’t get many semi finals so it’s a great thing for our country.”
Coming Up Tomorrow
Tomorrow we will find our finalists of the VICTOR Oceania Junior Championships 2025.
The first matches of the day will be the mixed doubles.
Shrey Dhand and Mimi Ngo (AUS) will face Landon Kurniawan and Maureen Wijaya (AUS) on Court 1, while Jayden Lim and Victoria Tjonadi (AUS) take on New Zealand’s Raphael Deloy and Yanxi Liu.
The men’s and women’s singles and doubles will follow soon after.
It’s a day heavily dominated by Australian semi-finalists, but the few New Zealanders and Tahiti players have shown enough promise to potentially uproot the Australia stronghold.
