Two years of on-court experience between New Zealanders Adam Jeffrey and Justine Villegas showed its strength today during the pair’s opening Mixed Doubles Round of 32 win over Australians Frederick Zhao and Yuelin Zhang at the Roketto Sydney International.
After bowing out during the Round of 16 last week at the YONEX Bendigo International, the pair went back to the drawing board during the past few days ahead of the clash today which they easily secured 21-9, 21-9 over their Australian opponents.
“It was a really good match to start the tournament,” Jeffrey said.
“We tried to remain as consistent as possible because last week we were losing too many points within the first two or three shots, that was our focus today – consistency.”
Now in their second week of the Oceania triple-header, Villegas and Jeffrey are eager to keep their form in Sydney, and also next week when they compete on home-soil at the MAXX North Harbour International.
“It’s really nice to have another opportunity to play here in Australia straight after last week in Bendigo, and even better that we will play again back home next week in New Zealand,” Villegas said.
“For now, we’re focused on playing plenty more matches here in Sydney, enjoying the warmer weather and checking out all the great things to see in Australia.”
Meanwhile, Japan’s Keisuke Fujiwara had a challenging start to his week after Canadian Hing Long Wong put him to the test during their 59-minute three-game match to kick off the Men’s Singles Round of 64.
Fujiwara, who was the Men’s Singles runner-up last week in Bendigo, comfortably took out the first game 21-12, before Wong fought back during the second to win it 27-25.
Fujiwara then sealed the deal in the third 21-11 to progress to the Round of 32.
“Finishing as runner-up last week in Bendigo has given me plenty of confidence and then starting this week’s tournament with a tough match it was very difficult to control my nerves,” Fujiwara said via translator.
“However, I am very happy to take the win.”
One of the biggest challenges thus far has been quickly adapting to a new playing venue that’s vastly different from Bendigo’s Red Energy Arena.
“The conditions are quite different,” Fujiwara said. “Therefore I am really focusing on my footwork to help adapt to this week’s venue.”
It’s the second time he has visited Australia to play badminton, with his first trip back in 2022. When he’s not on court, he’s more than happy to get outdoors and enjoy the best the country has to offer.
“I really enjoy the Aussie way of life,” he said with a smile.
“When I am not playing, I am straight outside enjoying the weather.”
Also in action today were the YONEX Bendigo International 2024 XD winners Eng Keat Wesley Koh and Jin Yu Jia [SGP] who will look to secure their second win together this week after last week’s triumph.
On the opening day in Sydney during the Mixed Doubles Round of 32, they defeated Australian pair Xing Huong Goh and Elysia Viravong 21-14, 21-6.
“We are feeling confident, but we are still hungry, we are to remain humble and keep fighting this week,” Koh said.
The pair have been only competing together for only two months, but have found strength in their partnership by always encouraging each other on court.
“We don’t focus on the mistakes, we keep going at every point as every point is a new point,” he said.
Jin shared the same sentiment as her partner, adding “we will not be content with just one win, we are determined to try our best and remain focused for the rest of the tournament in Sydney.”
“We are still learning, but we are focused on the process and will stick to our strategy.”
The pair are part of a big contingent of Singaporean players who have made the trip to Oceania for all three tournaments.
When not on court the team embraces every opportunity to bond and relax before they get back to business on court during the next round of tournament play.
“We go for team lunches and dinners, it’s one of the great things about travelling as a big team,” Jin said.
“It’s a good way to help take our minds off the court,” Koh added.
Tournament play at the Roketto Sydney International 2024 continues tomorrow, Thursday October 17 at 10am.
Tune into the Badminton Oceania YouTube channel to watch all the action live from Court 1 & 2: https://bit.ly/RSI2024StreamingPlaylist
Tournament Information/Results: https://bit.ly/RSINT2024
