Gabriel, Malasarte save semis seat

 Hapi Gabriel and Malou Masarte clinched the fourth and last semis berth in the centerpiece mixed doubles A division of the 2011 Shirley’s Badminton Classic after surviving a playoff match last Wednesday night at the TSL Sports Complex.

Gabriel and Malasarte slipped past Gerry Hibi and Annarose Omori in three games to advance to the next round. The pair won the do-or-die match despite losing the opening game, 17-21. In the second game, Gabriel and Malasarte recovered with a 21-19 victory to force a deciding third game. Gabriel and Malasarte kept their momentum going in the final game, escaping with a 21-17 triumph to knock off Hibi and Omori.

The two pairs had to meet in a playoff match, as they finished the round-robin play with identical 3-4 records and tied for fifth to sixth place in the team standings. With the win in the tiebreaker, Gabriel and Malasarte marched to the semifinals and will face second-ranked Dick Guintu and Hannah Choi tonight.

The other semis pairing tonight will feature Ferdie Arago and Lanie Bartolome against Macoi Aguda and Marlene Peraja. Winners of the semis matches will then collide for the second and last finals ticket and face the unbeaten tandem of Angie Ito and Andrew Galvez in the championship game this Sunday. Ito and Galvez earned an outright finals seat after sweeping the elimination round and recording a 7-0 slate.

Meanwhile, the playoff match in the mixed doubles lower A between Ito and Rodwealth Espana and Galvez and Merlie Tolentino will also be played tonight after the game scheduled last night was cancelled. The two teams finished the elimination round with similar 4-4 slates.

The winner of the playoff tiff will move into the semifinals, joining Guintu and Toshiko Obata, Arago and Annette Quiambao, and Robert Reyes and Malasarte. Gary Bandoja and Choi had already secured the first finals ticket in the mixed doubles lower A division.

Also set for tonight are the semis duels in the mixed doubles C. In the first semis pairing, Brandon Talania and Wendy Fernandez take on Elna Curate and Luis Camacho, while in the second semis battle, Joel Ortega and Kim Boranah will challenge Jerome Malasarte and Cris Obaldo. Winners of the semis games will play another playoff game for a chance to advance to the finals against Kanata Omori and Cleofe Santos, who sealed the first finals berth after sweeping their pool games.