Team Guam finished with a goose egg in this week’s regional badminton tournament, the Victor Oceania Junior Team Championships 2025, at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Saipan.

Held biennially, the tournament brings together the best under-19 badminton players from across the Oceania region, including countries and territories such as Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Guam, Tahiti, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Australia eventually won the 2025 Victor Oceania Junior Team Championships with a 3-2 victory over sport archrival New Zealand, and completed the tourney with an immaculate 6-0 win-loss slate.

Team standings:

  • Australia: 6 wins, 0 loss
  • New Zealand: 5 wins, 1 loss
  • CNMI: 4 wins, 2 losses
  • Tahiti: 3 wins, 3 losses
  • Cook Islands: 2 wins, 4 losses
  • Guam: 0 win, 6 losses

The 2025 Victor Oceania Junior Team Championships is a premier badminton competition organized under the Badminton Oceania confederation and sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation.

Battle of the Marianas

Guam’s biggest defeat was in the hands of cross channel rivals the CNMI on Day 3.

In the battle of the Marianas, first up was the mixed doubles, where CNMI’s 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.

CNMI’s Lina Tsukagoshi flexed her technical prowess with a smooth women’s singles victory, 15-6,15-8, and returned to the court in the women’s doubles with 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, Zeng 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,” Zeng said.

In the last match of the tie, the men’s doubles was a three-game match.

Guam’s Zeng took to the court again with partner Yu Xia to play CNMI’s Odicta and Jude Mallari.

Coming from behind, it was the CNMI pair that eventually took the win, a satisfying end to a fairytale tournament. The final score was CNMI 4, Guam 1.

Guam coach weighs in

Guam coach Rui Wang said their biggest takeaway in the Victor Oceania Junior Team Championships 2025 is to try and emulate the CNMI.

“Team NMI has demonstrated great passion and perseverance throughout the entire tournament. They are not afraid to fight regardless of who is on the other side of the court. They are brave athletes,” Wang told the Pacific Daily News. “Many things we have learned from NMI Team can be used for our athletes back home. Team NMI deserves all the success for that they have been putting up hard work in training.”

He also gave kudos to the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation for hosting the three-day tourney.

“The tournament is well organized with professional setting for young athletes to experience the badminton career,” he said. “Match control is almost perfect in arranging athletes’ lineups. Venue is clean and spacious.”

Wang also gave Northern Marianas Sports Association president Jerry Tan and his company for promoting sports in the CNMI.

“Tan Holdings and its [subsidiaries] have been a tremendous help in growing badminton in the CNMI. We are all very impressed with its success in athletes’ development.”

Guam’s fierce fights

The day before the matchup against the CNMI, Guam put up a fierce fight against Australia, but their opposition’s experience and technical knowledge showed.

Despite their best efforts, Guam lost to Australia, 0-5.

Australia’s Landon Kurniawan and Maureen Clarissa Wijaya started the tie with a 15-2, 15-4 win over Guam’s Zeng and Deng before compatriot Victoria Tjonadi humbled Yordy, 15-0, 15-3.

Australia’s Shrey Dhand then got the better of Guam’s Zeng, 15-5, 15-6, to win the tie before fellow Aussies Faye Huo and Mimi Ngo and Jayden Lim and Phillip Halim did mop up duties in victories over Deng and Yordy and Phillip Noret and Xia, 15-7, 15-6 and 15-2, 15-5, respectively.

Earlier, the Guamanians lost to Cook Islands, 0-5.

Cook Islands’ Kaiyin Mataio and Te Pa O Te Rangi Tupa started hostilities on the court with a 6-15, 15-7, 15-10 come-from-behind win over Guam’s Zeng and Yordy.

They then followed up with a close 15-10, 15-12 win by Lana Toa over Deng.

Cook Islands grabbed the tie after Makea Pauka overwhelmed Derrick Yan, 15-8, 15-8. Arihoia Sprague-Marsters and Tupa and Mataio and Patai then completed the sweep with victories over Deng and Yordy and Zeng and Xia, 15-5, 15-3 and 15-13, 15-7, respectively.

In their last match of Day 2, the young Guam team tried their hardest but could not hold off the charging New Zealand squad as they lost via another sweep, 0-5.

New Zealand’s Lezhi Zhu and Qixuan Yang broke the ice with an easy 15-5, 15-3 triumph over Guam’s Xia and Yordy, and the Kiwis followed that up with Josephine Zhao handling Deng, 15-3, 15-6, and Jay Xuan Tan beating Zeng, 15-2, 15, 5.

The last two matches then saw Lilian Cao and Yang defeat Deng and Yordy, 15-4, 15-3, and Eric Lu and Tan get the better of Noret and Yan, 15-1, 15-4.

Guam made its debut last Sunday with twin losses against Fiji and Tahiti.

Fiji’s Kevin Du and Leilah Chung beat Xia and Yordy, 15-10, 15-13, in the first mixed team competition.

Maliti Chung made it 2-0 after a close win over Deng, 15-8, 16-14. Zeng gave the U.S. territory its first win in the tie with his 15-9, 15-7 victory over Ethan Gibson.

Fiji’s Leilah and Maliti Chung then tied shut the door after disposing of Deng and Yordy, 15-10, 15-12.

Guam regained some measure of respect when Xia and Zeng withstood Du and Gibson in an electrifying three-setter, 15-12, 13-15, 15-8, to end the tie.

The Guamanians were then steamrolled by Tahiti via a 5-0 sweep in their next mixed team assignment on Day 1.

Tahiti started the onslaught with Mike Mi You and Ninon Malaval outclassing Zeng and Deng, 15-8, 15-7. Waianuhea Teheura then mopped the floor clean with Yordy, 15-2, 15-4, to give Tahiti a 2-0 advantage.

Tahiti’s Matt Chagnot secured the tie for the Polynesians when he dominated Noret, 15-6, 15-5, in another short but sweet—well for the Tahitian’s side—win.

Deng and Yordy gave Guam a semblance of a fight when they extended Teheura and Maureen Mi You to a third set before eventually losing 3-15, 15-11, 11-15.

Chagnot and Mike Mi You completed the sweep with a routine 15-4, 15-4 victory over Noret and Derrick Yan.

Mark Rabago is a freelance journalist based in the CNMI.

Mark Rabago is a freelance journalist based in the CNMI.

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