by Ian Marshall, Editor

In the junior boys’ doubles event, after accounting for New Zealand’s Jack Chen and Maxwell Henderson (11-5, 11-6, 11-3), Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu overcame colleagues, Hayden Green and Lee Yonghun (11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12) to seal the title. In the corresponding half of the draw, in the penultimate round Hayden Green and Lee Yonghun ended the hopes of New Zealand’s Park Sang-Yong and Nathan Xu (9-11, 11-4, 11-13, 13-11, 11-5).

Success against fellow Australians, it was the same in the cadet boys’ doubles competition; a four games win was recorded against Isaiah Lee and Raymond Zhang (11-5, 11-2, 8-11, 11-5). One round prior, Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu had overcome New Zealand’s Jack Chen and Joseph Zhang (11-1, 11-8, 11-4); Isaiah Lee and Raymond Zhang had ended the progress of New Caledonia’s Mathis Viper and Emile Wapae (11-4, 11-5, 11-5).

Further titles for Australia, it was the same in both the junior girls’ doubles and cadet girls’ doubles events. Matilda Alexandersson and Parleen Kaur secured the former; the latter finished in the hands of Constantina Psihogios and Chermaine Quah.

Following success against New Zealand’s Maia Cavanagh and Minette Whitehead (11-6, 11-6, 11-9), Matilda Alexandersson and Parleen Kaur reserved the top step of the podium by overcoming New Zealand’s Sophie Low and Zhou Jiayi (6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 13-11), the somewhat surprise semi-final winners when facing Australia’s Oh Sue Bin and Michelle Wu, the no.2 seeds (9-11, 11-6, 13-15, 11-8, 11-6).

Success against New Zealand opposition; it was the same in the cadet girls’ doubles final. Constantina Psihogios and Chermaine Quah overcame Takaimaania Ngata-Henare and Minette Whitehead to secure gold (6-11, 12-14, 11-3, 11-4, 11-2), after having recorded a semi-final success in opposition to Fiji’s Filomena Duncan and Nerean Rotan (11-2, 11-3, 11-6). In the adjacent penultimate round contest, Takaimaania Ngata-Henare and Minette Whitehead halted the aspirations of Casonya Bates and Marenga Tua from the Cook Islands (11-2, 11-4, 11-4).

The names of Chermaine Quah and Takaimaania Ngata-Henare prominent, they face each other in the cadet girls’ singles final; the latter name somewhat of a surprise. She beat Constantina Psihogios, the no.2 seed (6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5) to top her group, before at the semi-final stage ousting colleague, Minette Whitehead (11-4, 11-7, 11-7). In the counterpart semi-final, Chermaine Quah ended the hopes of Constantina Psihogios (11-7, 11-2, 11-9).

A surprise finalist, not in the cadet boys’ singles event, Finn Luu and Nicholas Lum meet; in the penultimate round both beat New Zealanders; Finn Luu accounted for Joseph Zhang (11-5, 11-5, 11-0), Nicholas Lum ended the hopes of Jack Chen (12-10, 12-10, 11-7).

Finalists as anticipated; in the junior girls’ singles event it is semi-finalists as expected with Australia providing three of the four names, the exception being New Zealand’s Zhou Jiayi. The no.2 seed, she faces Michelle Wu, the no.3 seed; in the opposite half of the draw Parleen Kaur, the top seed, opposes Matilda Alexandersson, the no.4 seed.

At the quarter-final stage Parleen Kaur beat Fiji’s Grace Rosi Yee (11-7, 11-6, 11-7, 11-2), Zhou Jiayi accounted for New Zealand’s Maia Cavanagh (11-7, 11-1, 11-5, 11-6); similarly in impressive fashion, Michelle Wu defeated Sophie Low, also from New Zealand (11-7, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9), Matilda Alexandersson ended the hopes of colleague Oh Sue Bin (11-6, 11-3, 12-10, 11-4).

The top four names through to the penultimate round as predicted; in the junior boys’ singles event there was one surprise name and like the junior girls’ singles line up, one name not from Australia. The surprise name was Isaiah Lee; the interloper, New Zealand’s Nathan Xu. Isaiah Lee beat Park Sang-Yong (11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4) to secure first place in his group, before at the quarter-final stage ousting Maxwell Henderson (4-11, 11-1, 11-3, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5). He now faces Nathan Xu, the top seed and quarter-final winner in opposition to Australia’s Raymond Zhang (11-4, 11-3, 11-2, 7-11, 11-7).

Meanwhile, in the opposite half of the draw, Lee Yonghun, the no.2 seed, confronts Hayden Green, the no.4 seed; in the round of the last eight Lee Yonghun beat New Caledonia’s Adrien Perrot (11-6, 11-4, 11-2, 11-3), Hayden Green ended the hopes of Park Sang-Yong (11-1, 11-2, 11-8, 11-7).

Play in Nuku’alofa concludes on Saturday 10th August.