Jadon Tsang (ClearOne) and WCTC Team BC alum Jacqueline Fei (Ace) took a commanding lead in the U13 Mixed Doubles round robin, winning each match in two games apiece and barely letting their opponents squeak in any points. Jerry Wan and Tiffany Xie (St. John’s) also gave a terrific performance on the courts, and will advance to face Tsang and Fei in the finals with a 3-0 record.
In U15 Boys’ Singles, top seed and WCTC Team BC alum Wenjun Ouyang (Ace) performed as skillfully as expected, advancing quickly through his matches to secure a place in the gold medal match on Sunday. Fellow WCTC teammate Nathaniel Franco (Ace), the 3/4 seed for this event, toppled number two seed – and another WCTC alum – Victor Huang (ClearOne) in a semi-final match that really went the distance. Franco’s 11-21, 21-16, 21-15 victory will put him head to head with Ouyang in the finals.
Top U19 Boys’ Singles seed James Ho (Ace), fresh off a bronze medal finish with Team BC at the Canada Winter Games, made quick work of his first two matches of the afternoon. In the semi-finals, however, he only narrowly scraped a 22-20, 21-19 victory against 3/4 seed Antonio Li (ClearOne) to clinch a spot in the finals. He will face off against fellow Team BC teammate Joshua Liu (St. John’s), who breezed through the afternoon’s competition, taking each match in two short games.
It comes as no surprise that National Team athletes Toby Ng (ClearOne) and Phyllis Chan (Ace) emerged from the Open Mixed Doubles round robin in the number one spot. Their display of skill and athleticism brought much applause from the spectators, especially in their match against Sam Wadsworth and Daisy Lee (VRC), whose commendable performance against two of the nation’s top athletes deserves special recognition. Canada Winter Games Team BC alum Qingzi Ouyang and her cousin Mingxi Jiang (Ace) clinched a second place finish in the round robin with an impressive 3-1 record, their only loss coming from a heated match against Ng and Chan.
Saturday will be jam packed with action for spectators eager to catch BC’s top badminton talent in each and every age group. U19 Girls’ Singles matches begin at 8:30am, followed by U13 Boys’ Singles, U13 Girls’ Singles, U15 Girls’ Singles, U15 Mixed Doubles, U17 Boys’ Singles, U17 Girls’ Singles, U17 Boys’ Doubles, U17 Girls’ Doubles, U19 Girls’ Singles, U19 Boys’ Doubles, U19 Mixed Doubles, Open Men’s Doubles, and Open Women’s Doubles. New fans and seasoned spectators alike are welcome to come to Ace Badminton Centre and experience the very best badminton in BC!