NMI’s Minul Hoque reaches out for a return during a men’s singles match at the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2025, held at the Ada gym.
Northern Marianas Badminton Association photo
TEAM NMI got off to a rough start at the Century Insurance Saipan International 2025, as several of the host’s players were eliminated during their debut in the men’s singles event at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Tuesday.
The first to fall was NMI’s Marlon Bautista, who was eliminated by Malaysia’s Wei Hong Low in two games.
In the opening game, Bautista seemed comfortable throughout most of the early exchanges with Low. Although Low controlled the pace, Bautista managed to go toe-to-toe and stayed close behind by capitalizing on a few unforced errors.
However, as the match progressed, Low started breaking through Bautista’s defenses with sudden shifts in speed and smart placements, gradually pulling ahead to claim the game, 15-9.
In the second game, Low found his rhythm and left Bautista in the dust, allowing him only one point before securing an easy 15-1 win and the match.
NMI’s Minul Hoque was eliminated in his match against Australia’s Zhi-Ron Tan in two games.
In the first game, Tan played aggressively, scoring three straight points, but Hoque fought back with three consecutive points of his own, tying the score at 3-3.
Unfortunately, Hoque couldn’t keep up as he was held scoreless for four points, allowing Tan to pull ahead. Although Hoque managed to squeeze in a couple more points, he eventually lost the game 15-6.
Hoque gave it his all in the second game but could not outplay Tan, who claimed a 15-8 victory and advanced to the next round.
On a separate court, NMI’s Jan Dumagan was quickly dispatched by Japan’s Minoru Koga in two games, 15-4, 15-9, while NMI’s Nolan Nate also fell to Japan’s Toma Noda, 15-2, 15-4.
