The Fiji Pearls went down 56-51 to Tonga in the opening match of the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Fiji led Tonga in the first two quarters, leading 16-11 in the first quarter and 28-26 in the second quarter.
However, Tonga rallied back in the third quarter and also capitalised on Fiji’s mistakes to take the lead 40-26.
Unaisi Rauluni scored 26 points, while Maria Rusivakula scored 25 points.
Fiji will face 13th-place Zimbabwe at 7pm tonight.
