The YONEX Northern Marianas Open kicked off today at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, marking the first sports event held on Saipan since Super Typhoon Sinlaku tore through the island in April. And for a community still rebuilding, watching international shuttlers back on court felt like a milestone in itself.
It wasn’t a typical opening day. With players rising to the occasion, there were several marathon matches, a fitting way to open a tournament that’s as much about getting back on court as it is about results.
Men’s Singles
First up was men’s singles qualifying. Local players Jude Mallari and Evan Seguritan (NMI) both secured their spots in the main draw.
Notably, New Zealand doubles player Raphael Deloy played his first international singles match since the 2025 edition of the VICTOR Oceania Championships. Up against Venezuela’s Zikuanxi Yang, Deloy dominated from the beginning, his strength translating well to the dynamic of the singles competition. The Kiwi booked his spot in the R64 with a 21-13, 21-9 win.
“I’m pretty happy with my performance, playing singles is a bit difficult as I’ve been playing doubles a lot,” said Deloy. “It’s quite exhausting as there’s a lot more court coverage to cover. A lot of the time when I’m playing, it’s mostly drives and flat shots instead of the slower game. I have to play so differently, I think it will take some time to adjust.”
As the men’s round of 64 began, several matches went the distance.
Australia’s Ephraim Stephen Sam came oh-so-close to booking his spot in the next round. Facing Norway’s Markus Barth, Sam hustled to force a decider. In the end, Barth secured the win 21-16, 16-21, 21-16.
Last year’s runner-up Kim Hae Deun regained his composure to take down Vijayan Tamilarasukumar 19-21, 21-12, 21-14.
The longest match of the day belonged to Erfan Majeed Hajibeigy (MAS) and Chieh Lin (TPE). Initially, Lin dictated the pace of the match while Hajibeigy remained reactive. It wasn’t until the second game that the tide started to shift. After 74 minutes, Hajibeigy dropped to the ground in relief, closing out the win 17-21, 23-21, 21-17.
“At the start, he was playing quite fast with flat pushes and movement, so I didn’t get into a rhythm,” said Hajibeigy. “After the first game, I tried to have my own strategy and tactic. I played him last year in October — he’s improved a lot and played really well today. I had luck on my side, and I am glad I played well.”
Women’s Round of 32
Top seed Ella Lin (USA) comfortably progressed to the next round with a decisive win over India’s Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye.
Last year’s champion Sakura Masuki (JPN) recovered from a second-game dip to beat Huang Sheng-Chun (TPE) 21-14, 9-21, 21-12.
Meanwhile, 2025 Saipan International semifinalist Niina Matsuta will not be playing in tomorrow’s round of 16. Matsuta fell to Jia Ling Ke, a junior player from Chinese Taipei, after three gruelling games.
Across the rest of the singles fields, all top seeds remain in the tournament.
Lina Tsukagoshi (NMI) and Haoxuan Xia (NZL) are the only Oceania singles players to continue their tournament campaign. Xia takes the court tomorrow, while Tsukagoshi returns for her R16 match on Thursday.
