The NMI’s Ean Camacho reaches for the backhand return during a men’s singles match against Chinese Taipei’s Chu Chen Jia in the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 at the Ada gym Tuesday.
The NMI’s Andreau Galvez sets up for the serve during a men’s singles match against Korea’s Choi Pyeong Gang in the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 at the Ada gym Tuesday.
THE NMI’s Paulo Quidato and Kyle Salcedo triumphed over their respective opponents in the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium Tuesday.
Quidato defeated Guam’s Corey Lei, 21-14, 21-19 while Kyle Salcedo overcame Guam’s Yu Xuan Xia, 21-12, 21-18.
Quidato said he was very nervous at the beginning of the match because he had no knowledge of his opponent and did not want to make the mistake of underestimating him. “I was — making a lot of mistakes and unforced errors,” he said.
Despite these mental distractions, Quidato emerged victorious in the first set, 21-14.
The second set grew more intense as Lei started to adjust and score returns of his own to remain within arm’s reach throughout most of the exchanges.
But Quidato started to find his comfort and got back into rhythm. “I wanted to focus more on placing the shuttle and keep my own pace —having him adapt to my pace instead,” he said. He finished strong, 21-19, to secure match victory. “It was a pretty good game overall. I do feel quite proud for handing the NMI its first win,” he added.
Last year, Quidato played in two Olympic qualifiers that were also hosted by NMI. “Compared to those events, the intensity and level of the game now are still the same. The strength and speed are of another world,” Quidato said. “But it’s a great opportunity for us, especially the younger players who will be competing in China this year.”
Aside from rooting for other NMI players, Quidato said he is also cheering on New Zealand’s Edward Lau. “He has been an inspiration to all of us. He’s very open to giving us feedback as a player,” Quidato said adding that he is also a big fan of the players from Japan.
In other matches
The other NMI players fought hard in their debut matches but suffered defeats.
Marlon Bautista lost to Chinese Taipei’s Hsin Tse Tu, 21-17, 21-6; Daniel Macario was overpowered by USA’s Garret Tan, 21-7, 21-6; Andreau Galvez lost to Korea’s Choi Pyeong Gang, 21-6, 21-7; Ean Camacho was defeated by Chinese Taipei’s Chu Chen Jia, 21-3, 21-7; and Sean Dizon lost to the Philippines’ Carlo Glenn Remo, 21-6, 21-5.
Quidato said he still has high hopes for Team NMI. “My teammates put a lot of hard work into training but it’s also about how strong we are mentally and how well we can keep that mentality throughout the match,” he said. “I’m sure my teammates can perform well and it’s up to us as teammates to keep each other motivated,” he added.
