The first upset of the YONEX SUNRISE BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships 2025 unfolded on the second day. Philippines, needing 18 points to win the final match against Hong Kong China while their opponents needed only nine, somehow conjured the improbable. The 45-43 third set win was the first indication of what was to be a special campaign.
More was to come.
They beat Slovenia 2-0 to finish second in Group F behind Indonesia, and then, playing for positions 9-12, they scored another major upset – a stunning 45-40 45-36 result over heavyweights Denmark.
After their third win in a row – a 45-40 45-41 win over Sri Lanka – the Philippines were in contention for ninth place but fell to Thailand, and so had to settle for 10th place overall – a massive jump of 15 places from their last showing at the World Juniors in Nanchang.
The MVP for Philippines was Jamal Rahmat Pandi, who tirelessly shouldered the burden in men’s singles, men’s doubles (with Ralph Niño Dalojo) and mixed doubles (with Mary Destiny Untal). Pandi won 14 of the 19 matches he featured in during the group ties, and 10 of 18 that he played during the 9-12 placings. The 18-year-old lefthander was sensational in each of Philippines’ ties – frequently dragging his team back into contention after they’d fallen behind. Against Hong Kong China for instance, playing the second match with his team 9-0 behind, Pandi would win 18 points against his opponent Lam Ka To’s five; against Denmark he’d win all four of his doubles contests.
Pandi in action.
“It means a lot for us to beat Denmark, since they’re one of the powerhouses of this sport,” said Pandi. “Philippines placed 25th last year. So being able to have a chance against these kind of countries is big.”
Head coach Lloyd Escoses had high praise for Pandi – “It’s really amazing that he can continuously deliver for the team” – and emphasised the significance of the wins over Hong Kong China and Denmark.
“The win over Hong Kong China was really one of the highlights of the tournament, because we were trailing and, my God, and we were able to make a quick turn. It was a huge boost to our confidence, and then to beat Denmark, it’s a big leap in terms of our confidence. The players want to go farther, farther, farther. All they need to do is just keep going.”
Escoses (right) encouraged by what he saw.
Escoces recalled that the performance at the World Juniors was actually a follow-up to their showing at the Asian Juniors in July, where the team had lost narrowly to Korea before finishing 10th overall. The Philippines had been in a difficult group with China, Korea and Vietnam; after an opening loss to China, Philippines would fall by the narrow margin of 110-105 to Korea. They did finish the tournament on a high, beating Vietnam 110-83.
Escoces acknowledges that there’s a long way for the Philippines to go in terms of overall development, but the emergence of a clutch of young players could turn the spotlight on badminton back home. Coming to the World Juniors, he said his task was to instill in his players the mindset that they belonged. He’s enthused that the players now believe in themselves, and that’s a good sign for the immediate future.
“This is a great start for us to really see our development, it’s gonna be really big news,” said Escoces. “The rest of our team back home is also watching, they’re really looking forward to our games.
“At the start of the tournament, the mindset was we are playing at the world level. You already are somebody. All we need to do is just get the feel of the games at this level. We are here already. All we need to do is just get a grip, start believing we can make it. And see what happened.”
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