Bermuda’s junior badminton stars found the going tough on day two of the Victor Ontario Junior C #7 tournament, as the island’s trio faced a grueling schedule of elite doubles competition at Carleton University.
While the singles matches earlier in the weekend provided glimpses of success, the jump to the doubles and mixed doubles divisions proved a steep learning curve for Joseph Lau, Aaron Lee, and JitHom Liew against some of Canada’s most polished young pairings.
The Boy’s Under-19 Doubles bracket saw Lau and Lee join forces for a series of high-intensity encounters, though they found the local opposition clinical. Their run began with a 21-8, 21-10 defeat to Haihan Sun and Zihan Wu, followed by a hard-fought 21-11, 21-13 loss to Xavier Chan and Jeremy Yuan. The Bermudian duo continued to show resilience through the later rounds, but eventually fell to Lemuel Ng and Adrian Tang (21-10, 21-7) and Michael Gadza and Tayson Te (21-10, 21-11).
Despite the hurdles in the men's draw, Joseph Lau found a moment of triumph alongside Canadian partner Swara Pawar in the Under-19 Mixed Doubles. The pair endured a difficult start, suffering straight-sets defeats to the pairings of Zihan and Zimo Wu, as well as Lemuel Ng and Isuri DeSilva. However, their persistence was rewarded in a thrilling three-set clash against Eric Tan and Sophia Kan which earned them a Bronze Medal.
In a match that kept the Ottawa crowd on edge, Lau and Pawar claimed the opening set 21-17, only for their opponents to snatch the second by the same scoreline. Showing immense composure in the decider, the cross-border pairing found their rhythm to take the final set 21-15 and secure a well-earned victory.
For JitHom Liew, competing in the Under-15 division, the second day of action mirrored the high standards seen in the senior ranks. Navigating the consolation rounds, Liew faced a tough battle against Daniel Paul, eventually going down 21-15, 21-9.
While the scorelines reflected the dominance of the Ontario-based players, the experience of competing in a multi-disciplinary international event remains a key pillar of the Bermuda National Junior Badminton Association’s strategy. Under the guidance of coach Emma Moran-Lee, the trio will now look to carry these lessons back to the island as they continue their preparations for the next stage of the regional circuit.
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