MANILA – National team athletes Jewel Angelo Albo and Mikaela Joy De Guzman have advanced to the finals in their respective divisions at the 2024 Philippine Badminton Open, held at the First Pacific Leadership Academy courts in Antipolo City.

Albo, who represents the University of the Philippines, pulled off an impressive upset by defeating the top-seeded RJ Oba-ob of the Philippine Air Force with a score of 21-12, 21-10. This victory sets Albo up for a title clash against Clarence Villaflor in the men’s singles final.

Villaflor, representing Cadiz-JBA/Apacs, secured his place in the finals by overcoming Arthur Salvado Jr. from Ateneo de Manila University with a scoreline of 21-13, 21-16 in their semifinal match.

“I didn’t set a specific goal for myself; I just wanted to play my best and deliver a good performance,” said Albo, the UAAP Season 85 Rookie of the Year. “In the semifinals, I focused on my game strategy, which was to stay aggressive.”

In the women’s singles, top-seeded De Guzman dominated her semifinal match against eighth-seed Karyll Rio from National University, winning 21-10, 21-13.

“She played well. I know she’s one of NU’s top players, so I gave it my all. I’m pleased with my performance,” De Guzman said. She will face the third seed, Ysabel Amora, also from NU, in the final. Amora defeated the fifth seed, Anielka Maeve Paz, with scores of 21-15, and 21-12 in their semifinal match.

“I’m giving everything I have in the final because it’s the last match. I’m going all out,” added De Guzman, who is also the reigning champion of the 2023 APACS Kazakhstan International Series.

In other categories, Smash Pilipinas standouts Julius Villabrille and Airah Mae Nicole Albo remain on track to defend their titles.

Villabrille and Solomon Padiz Jr., seeded third, outplayed Lanz Ralf Zafra and Nestojan Tapales with a score of 24-22, 21-11 to reach the men’s doubles final. They will compete against Peter Gabriel Magnaye and Christian Bernardo, who won against Kervin Llanes and Rey Angelo Pedron from the University of the Philippines with scores of 21-17, 21-15.

Top seeds Airah Mae Nicole Albo of De La Salle and Lea Inlayo of UP advanced to the women’s doubles final by defeating the University of Santo Tomas pair Patricia De Leon and Marielle Alvarez, 21-14, 21-19. They will face UP’s Patricia De Dios and Kimberly Lao, who emerged victorious over UST’s Jennifer Helyn Saladaga and Rhafi Anne Santos, 21-18, 21-13.

In mixed doubles, top seeds Villabrille and Albo defeated John Gregg Paz and Marilou Dacillo, 21-11, 21-13. They will face Christian Bernardo and Alyssa Ysabel Leonardo in the final. Bernardo and Leonardo beat second seeds Padiz and Inlayo in a closely contested match, 21-18, 17-21, 21-18.

The finals will take place at Gameville Ball Park in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday, starting at 10 AM.

The tournament offers a total prize pool of PHP1 million. The winners of the men’s and women’s singles will each receive PHP100,000, with the runners-up getting PHP50,000. The third and fourth-place finishers will receive PHP15,000 each. In the doubles categories, the champions will earn PHP120,000, the runners-up will take home PHP60,000 and the third and fourth-place finishers will receive PHP30,000 each.

(el Amigo/mnm)