Top seeds Andika Ramadiansyah and Nozomi Shimizu needed just 17 minutes to clear their mixed doubles opening match at the ROKETTO Sydney International, defeating Australia’s Shi Hang Lai and Jennifer Tam 21-5, 21-5 at the ROKETTO Badminton Centre in Lidcombe.
Ramadiansyah and Shimizu Set Fast Early Pace in Lidcombe
Carrying momentum from tournament victories at the MAXX North Harbour International and the YONEX Bendigo International over the preceding fortnight, Ramadiansyah and Shimizu maintained their aggressive tempo on opening day. The Australian pair overpowered their compatriots in straight games to move through the mixed doubles round of 32. Elsewhere in the mixed doubles bracket, third seeds Rio Agustino and Priska Kustiadi dismissed New Zealanders Dylan Soedjasa and Kishen Lew 21-10, 21-18, while fifth seeds Raphael Chris Deloy and Sydney Tjonadi eased past Le The Hung Pham and Yao Qin 21-12, 21-14.
In a tougher test, Jack Yu and Angela Yu needed 46 minutes to overcome fellow Australians Rayne Wang and Josephine Wu 21-11, 19-21, 21-11. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Jonathan Curtin and Jenny Zhu delivered the day’s most lopsided Oceania result, dispatching Australians Michael Chan and Shan Wang 21-9, 21-6 in 18 minutes.
Seeded Pairs Fall as Oceania Duos Capitalize
Upsets dotted the opening day draws as several lower-ranked and unseeded Oceania pairings ousted seeded opponents. Australia’s Chauncey Yu and Maureen Clarissa Wijaya claimed one of the day’s standout results by eliminating the sixth seeds 21-12, 21-14 in 25 minutes. Not all home favorites fared as well, however, as seventh seeds Kanki Igawa and Shrilalitha Supriya Yellapragada fell 21-7, 21-14 to Malaysia’s Tan Yi Han and Khor Jing Wen.
@OOSNSWBADMINTON: Roketto Sydney International, 14-18, Lidcombe Photo, from top left, clockwise: Taipei's Wang Po-Wei, Japan's Niina Matsuta & Aussie locals Andika Ramadiansyah/Nozomi Shimizu, won XD in Bendigo International & New Zealand's North Harbour! pic.twitter.com/Ez0fF31gYt
Other all-Australian encounters saw Timotius Elbert and Sylvina Kurniawan defeat Allen Hsu and Victoria Li 21-11, 21-14, alongside Juchel Andro Inog and Jing Yun Chiu overcoming Michael Tam and Michelle Tam 21-12, 21-13. Daniel McMillan and Camellia Zhou of New Zealand captured the opening game against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Ting-Yu and Tsai Ruo Lin before dropping a tight three-game battle 19-21, 21-18, 21-17 over 49 minutes.
Teoh Outlasts Choo in Longest Men’s Singles Battle
The men’s singles round of 64 featured a heavy concentration of Oceania contenders, guaranteeing multiple home players a path into the next round through direct matchups. Michael Su defeated Michael Tam 19-21, 21-10, 21-11, Dylan Chan eliminated Nicholas Tran Quan Pham 21-16, 17-21, 21-13, and Evan Ji edged Ruiqi Chen 21-19, 24-22 in a 49-minute endurance test.
Kai Chen Teoh endured the longest men’s singles encounter of the day, recovering from a first-game deficit to defeat Malaysia’s Chung Li Eric Choo 20-22, 22-20, 21-8 across 1 hour and 6 minutes. Reigning Oceania champion Shrey Dhand, seeded tenth, advanced smoothly past Canada’s Hing Long Wong 21-14, 21-17. Thirteenth seed Muhammad Rafi Zafran Ferary defeated England’s Heng Lin Ngan 21-16, 21-14, while New Zealand’s Dylan Soedjasa routed Ernest Yu Loong Ng 21-4, 21-6 in just 18 minutes.
International Contenders Advance Past Early Round Hurdles
International visitors also asserted themselves across the singles draws as several notable seeds and regional hopefuls exited. Ninth seed Karono Karono suffered a 21-17, 21-13 defeat to Chinese Taipei’s Lu Chia Hung. Raphael Lydra fell to eighth seed Lau Jun Hui Marcus of Singapore, and Yuan Hao Luo dropped his match to second seed Liao Jhuo-Fu of Chinese Taipei.
Keith Mark Edison bowed out in three games against Malaysia’s Chen Hong Chew, and Pushkal Irusumalla retired during his match against top seed Wang Po-Wei after trailing 21-7, 7-1. Additional opening-round exits included Pit Seng Low, Caleb Teo, David Zhou, Alexander Lee, and Billy Li.
Keep reading
