Events

What a truly exciting end to an excellent tournament! Sunday’s final matches saw three triple crowns awarded to very deserving players in the 2015 Black Knight Ontario Junior Elite series.

 

Tihan Hewagama’s remarkable run in the Junior Elite came to an end Sunday afternoon with a 21-4, 21-14 loss to top seed Brian Yang. While sure to be a disappointment to Hewagama, that’s not at all a bad showing for an unseeded player against the highest ranked U17 Boys’ Singles player in Canada.

 

Katie Ho-Shue took gold in U17 Girls’ Singles after winning her match against Cara De Belle 21-8, 21-19. While the first game wrapped up quickly, De Belle fought hard in the second one and deserves credit for an outstanding performance against the tournament’s top seed.

 

In U17 Boys’ Doubles, Brian Yang snagged a second gold with his partner Desmond Wang. The two fought a close three-game match against Mathieu Morneau and Nicolas Nguyen that ended in their favour 18-21, 21-12, 21-12.

 

Katie Ho-Shue returned to the court with her partner Vania Wu in U17 Girls’ Doubles, and managed a tidy victory over Sharon Au and Crystal Lai. Ho-Shue and Wu won the match 21-11, 21-15.

 

The stage was set for two triple crowns to be won in the U17 Mixed Doubles final. Top seeds Brian Yang and Katie Ho-Shue squared off against number two seeds Bryan Poon and Cara De Belle in a truly fierce match, and came out victorious in the end. The two U17 athletes ended their run in the tournament with a 21-10, 21-19 victory and a pair of triple crowns.

 

Sankeeth Bagalur gave Jason Ho-Shue a real run for his money in U19 Boys’ Singles. The unseeded Bagalur challenged top seed Ho-Shue in a whirlwind match that eventually ended in Ho-Shue’s favour, 21-18, 21-16. Bagalur should be extraordinarily proud of his performance at this tournament.

 

In U19 Girls’ Singles, top seed Takeisha Wang took on 5/8 seed Joanne Chen in an energetic match that put both athletes’ athleticism on display. Wang took the gold in the end, winning the match in two 21-16 rounds.

 

Jason Ho-Shue and Jonathan Lai took to the court against number two seeds Austin Bauer and Ty Lindeman in the U19 Men’s Doubles gold medal match. While Ho-Shue and Lai handily won the first game 21-15, the second was painfully close and saw Bauer and Lindeman lose the gold by a narrow 21-19 margin. Both teams played excellent badminton, making the match a real joy to watch.

 

The U19 Girls’ Doubles match was not quite as close. Rachel Honderich and Danica Lau faced off against number two seeds Giselle Chan and Chloe Rowe, defeating them 21-10, 21-11.

 

The gold medal match for U19 Mixed Doubles presented the third opportunity for a triple crown in the Junior Elite tournament. With two golds under his belt already, Jason Ho-Shue joined partner Rachel Honderich in a match against top seeds Ty Lindeman and Takeisha Wang. The first game went the distance, but the second went a bit quicker. Ho-Shue won the triple crown as he and Honderich bagged a 22-20, 21-13 victory.