The AVC Beach Tour Samila Open saw Beach Ferns Olivia MacDonald and Shaunna Polley put together one of their most complete tournament runs to date, going undefeated on their way to gold in Samila Beach.

They opened strong with straight-sets wins over Hong Kong (21–13, 21–16) and Kazakhstan (21–10, 21–19), playing clean and in control across both matches. That carried through into the Round of 16, where they took care of Thailand in two (21–18, 21–15) to move comfortably into the quarterfinals.

There, they faced a familiar Japanese pairing in Ren and Non, who they had beaten the week prior at the AVC Beach Tour Raja Ampat. This time, the result was even more convincing, with MacDonald and Polley winning 21–15, 21–11 in one of their sharpest performances of the event.

The semifinals shifted the tone. Up against a Thai team on home sand in heavy heat, the match stretched to three sets. After dropping the first 18–21, the Beach Ferns adjusted well, taking the next two 21–16 and 15–13 to book a spot in the final.

The final followed a similar pattern, another three-set battle, this time against Japan. After losing the opening set 17–21, they responded to take the second 21–17 before closing out a tight third 19–17.

It’s a strong step forward for the pair. After finishing with silver at this same event in 2025, they’ve gone one better this year, and did it without dropping a match. Backed by coach Jason Lochhead, the result reflects a well-prepared and composed campaign across the week.

Article added: Thursday 16 April 2026