The University of Toronto Varsity Blues badminton team opened the 2009 OUA regular season with a bang, defeating the McMaster Marauders 13-0 on Sunday, October 4 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
A 2008 OUA all-star, Jesse Assing (Bethany, Ont.) got off to a great start, dominating the number one singles match 21-6, 21-8. He was very patient tactically and moved his opponent around the court until he created an obvious opening and attacked the floor.
Assing and team captain Mike Lawler (Peterborough, Ont.) got off to a slow start in the number one men’s doubles match. They led only 11-9 at the first game interval, however, came back to dominate the rest of the match, winning the first game 21-13 and the second 21-9.
First-year engineering student Mark Chang (Vancouver, B.C.) was amazing in the number three men’s singles match as he played against an experienced and fast-paced Pearce Herchenrader (Kitchener, Ont.). Perhaps even more remarkable was Chang’s obvious composure and relaxed attitude as he moved effortlessly around the court to win 21-13, 21-16.
Blues rookie Michelle Li (Richmond Hill, Ont.) was sensational in her OUA debut as she took on McMaster’s top player Allison Bennett in both the number one singles and number one doubles matches. Despite her best effort, Bennett was no match for Li’s controlled game. The first-year life science student earned eight points in a row in the first game and seven consecutive points in the second game to earn the 21-14, 21-17 victory.
In women’s doubles action, the Blues tried a new pairing in the number one position. Li and Toronto captain Shilin Cheung (Hong Kong) played a great match against Bennett and Karen Chun Tun Wong winning 21-11, 21-13, again showing a lot of power and creative strokes throughout the match.
The story of the day was the strong performance of the four first-year players on the Blues roster – Chang winning singles number three and doubles number two matches, Clifton Leung (Mississauga, Ont.) and Michelle Chow (Markham, Ont.) who played number three mixed doubles and won a really close match 23-21, 21-18. This, in addition to Li’s dominant play throughout the day, rounded out the exciting display from the Blues rookie class.
Perennial OUA all-star Melissa Hill (Oakville, Ont.) also displayed great court presence and strong play, easily winning her singles number two match 21-7, 21-9 and her mixed doubles with Dustin Yu (Mississauga, Ont.) 21-7, 21-17.
Full Results
The Varsity Blues return to action on Saturday, October 17 when they travel across town to take on the York Lions. Matches are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.
