Caranto bags first Class A singles title

Jexter Caranto makes a return in an earlier badminton tournament at the TSL Sports Complex. He won the men?s A singles crown in the Sun Palace tournament after downing Andreau Galvez in the finals last weekend, 25-23, 14-21, 21-17. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

Jexler Caranto won the all-Community Badminton Club finale, outlasting Andreau Galvez in their three-game title match in the men’s A singles division of the Sun Palace Hotel Singles and Doubles Badminton Competition 2014 last Friday at the TSL Sports Complex.
It was Caranto’s first championship in the Class A singles, as he also played in the same event in the inaugural Sun Palace tournament last year, but lost to Galvez in the semifinals, 18-21, 21-18, 19-21. Caranto went on to get even with his fellow CBC player, pulling off a 25-23, 14-21, 21-17 victory in the division finals last weekend.

Joining Caranto on the champions list were Deether Edralin and A.J. Ortega and women’s division’s Hannah Choi, Toshiko Obata, and Nicole Masarte.

Edralin clinched the men’s B singles plum after a 22-20, 21-17 victory over Ezekiel Macario, while Ortega posted a 21-16, 21-18 win against Jeremy Montenejo to take the men’s A singles title.

In the women’s division, Choi retained the Class A singles crown after sweeping Janelle Pangilinan, 22-20, 21-19, while Malasarte went home with the Class C singles award, following a 21-9, 21-5 rout of Roxe Lazaro. Obata won over Dianne Francisco in the women’s B singles via default.

Meanwhile, the doubles title games were also played over the weekend with five pairs emerging as new champions and only one team keeping its division title.

Chris Hilario, who placed third last year with Brandon Talania, this time ruled the men’s B doubles after partnering with Aries Cordero in downing Jojo Savellano and Narlou Achas, 21-17, 21-16. In the women’s division, Windy Fernandez, who also finished third last year with teammate Annette Ta, won the division crown in her second attempt, joining forces with Obata in defeating Cheng Saturno and So Young in last Friday’s title match, 19-21, 22-20, 21-15.

In the women’s C doubles, the finale finished after only two games with the youthful tandem of Patricia Abantao and Malasarte prevailing over Roxe Lazaro and Emily Vargas, 21-16, 21-19. In the men’s division, A.J. Ortega and Rafael Zapanta won without losing a sweat after Han Cheol Yu and Ji Min failed to show up in the Friday finale.

In last Saturday’s men’s A doubles title game, both finalists arrived at the venue with Sam Jones and Glenn Bluutjens dethroning Caranto and Galvez. The newly crowned champions needed three games to beat the 2013 winners, 21-18, 16-21, 21-19, and avenged their 26-28, 12-21 loss to the same duo in last year’s finals.

In the women’s A doubles, Choi and Alma Ortega retained their crown after sweeping Lani Bartolome and Fernandez in last Saturday’s title match, 21-18, 21-14. The back-to-back champions nailed last year’s championship against Bartolome and Marlene Peraja, 21-8, 18-21, 21-14.