Mangkalakiri Proves to Be Triple Threat

Orange’s Mesinee Mangkalakiri hasn’t lost a badminton match in more than nine months and on Sunday she won the three biggest of her young career at the United States Junior National Badminton Championships at the Orange County Badminton Club.

Mangkalakiri won the girls’ singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles in the 16-and-under division. The Times Orange County Player of the Year went undefeated in high school competition, winning Southern Section titles in doubles and mixed doubles. The last match she lost was a mixed doubles match in September.

Mangkalakiri, 16, is a member of the Western Regional National Training Center program at the club and a junior at Villa Park High. She said Sunday’s performance was her biggest accomplishment, especially since she has only been playing for about two years.

“This is really great. I wanted to get the triple crown and I did,” Mangkalakiri said. “I was confident of my singles and doubles coming in, but I wasn’t confident about mixed doubles.”

Mangkalakiri and her partner and high school teammate, Mike Chansawangpuvana, went up against Palo Alto’s Eric Go and Clarice Thenard of Alameda in the mixed doubles final. Mangkalakiri and Chansawangpuvana lost to the Palo Alto duo in the Junior Nationals two years ago. This time, however, Mangkalakiri and Chansawangpuvana came out on top, winning the title with a 15-7, 15-10 victory.

In singles, an event Mangkalakiri doesn’t participate in during the high school season, she crushed Manhattan Beach’s Kristen Davis, 11-6, 11-0. And with partner and training program teammate Connie Hwang, she took the doubles title with a 15-4, 15-6 victory over Jessica Allen of Cupertino and Thenard.

It was a big day for members of the Villa Park team, which won six titles.

Casey Peters (Villa Park) and Alhambra Keppel’s Elie Wu won the under-18 division in girls’ doubles, defeating program teammates Alison Brown and Erin Hois, 15-11, 15-8. In mixed doubles, Peters and Bob Malaythong defeated Alta Loma’s Amarit Rojsivrit and Brown, 15-8, 15-4. Chansawangpuvana and Orange’s Raymond Wong won the boys’ 16-and-under division, defeating Redondo Beach’s Danny Gibbs and Ohio’s Isaac Alwine, 15-8, 15-11.