VICTOR Oceania Junior Mixed Team Champs - Day Three

Between the high-anticipated Trans-Tasman clash, the battle of local rivals, and old competitors facing each other, day three of the VICTOR Oceania Junior Mixed Team Championships was thrilling!

Champions were crowned and barriers were broken. Here’s the rundown.

Australia vs New Zealand

The gold medal match did not disappoint. Australia versus New Zealand always proves to be a fantastic showdown, and this year was no different.

First up, the mixed doubles seemed like it could go either way. Trading leads consistently, it was eventually Jayden Lim and Victoria Tjonadi (AUS) that took the first game (17-15) over New Zealand’s Raphael Deloy and Yanxi Liu. Going into the second game, the Kiwis seemed to recompose themselves, but the Australian duo ran away with the win and a score of 15-13.

Next, Shrey Dhand (AUS) took to the court against Eric Lu (NZL). Eric fought his hardest but could not disrupt Shrey’s flow. Shrey took the match 15-7, 15-8.

Fay Huo (AUS) felt the pressure going into the women’s singles match. If she won it, the title would be Australia’s, if she lost, New Zealand were one step closer to victory. Faye took the first game, but not without added pressure from Yanxi Liu (NZL). The Kiwi rallied back to take the second game, but Faye stayed composed throughout and powered to a third game win (15-12, 13-15,16-6)

“When I first stepped on the court I was nervous because really wanted to win. I told myself to just enjoy the game and have fun while I was on the court.” – Faye Huo, Australia

Even though Australia had already secured the title, the men’s doubles hit the court. New Zealand’s Lezhi Zhu and Raphael Deloy dominated against Phillip Halim and Landon Kurniwan, taking the two games 15-7, 15-13.

The final match of the day was women’s doubles, where New Zealand’s Qixuan Yang and Josephine Zhao faced VICTOR Oceania Championships runner-ups Mimi Ngo and Maureen Clarissa Wijaya. In the 20 minute match, it seemed to be anyone’s game, but in the end, it was Kiwi duo who stayed composed to take the match 15-11, 15-11.

Australia won the tie 3-2 over New Zealand.

Northern Marianas vs Guam

Northern Marianas met Guam for a local battle. First up was the mixed doubles, where Dave Bryan Odicta and Shaina Malonzo stayed patient to cruise to a 15-8, 15-8 win over Guam’s Yu Xuan Xia and Offeia Yordy.

Lina Tsukagoshi flexed her technical prowess with a smooth women’s doubles victory (15-6,15-8) and returned to the court in the women’s doubles with Shaina Malonzo to gain another win for their team.

Guam’s first and only point came from Allan Zeng in the men’s doubles. In a close fight with Marlon Bautista, Allan had to think on his feet to come away with the win.

“The pressure was on because Northern Marianas and Guam have always been very close rivals. During the game, my opponent had a lot of deceptive shots, so I had to shift my focus to the back court, meaning I couldn’t put all my energy into the front court, which I’m more adept at. I played a lot less aggressively in the second set and it worked out for me.” – Allan Zeng, Guam

In the last match of the tie, the men’s doubles was a three-game match. Allan Zeng took to the court again with partner Yu Xuan Xia to play Northern Marianas Dave Bryan Odicta and Jude Mallari. Coming from behind, it was the Northern Marianas pair that eventually took the win, a satisfying end to a fairytale tournament.

The final score was Marianas 4, Guam 1.

Tahiti vs Cook Islands

Over on court three, Tahiti and Cook Islands played for fourth and fifth.

In the mixed doubles, Matt Chagnot and Ninon Malaval (TAH) cruised to a 15-6, 16-11 win over Edward Patai and Lana Toa (COK).

Mike Mi You (TAH) also showed why he’s one of the strongest players in the Pacific, taking the event point over Kaiyin Mataio (COK) in under 15 minutes.

Te Pa Tupa gave the Cook Islands their first point of the tie, going 15-9, 15-7 over Tahiti’s Ninon Malalval.

Matt and Mike (TAH) returned to the court against Kaiyin Mataio and Edward Patai (COK) in the men’s doubles. Despite their best effort, the Cooks’ pair could not make inroads against the Tahiti team, who won the match 15-9, 15-2.

In the final match of the tie, Arihoia Sprauge-Marsters and Te Pa Tupa (COK) stepped on court in the women’s doubles to face Maureen Mi You and Waianuhea Teheura (TAH).

After constant lead switches, it was finally the Cook Island duo who came away with the win.

Tahiti won the tie 3-2.