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Guerrero, Pangilinan take first finals seat
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Posted on Dec 02 2021
Janelle Pangilinan, left, and Nate Guerrero, right, are in the finals of the open mixed doubles event in the NMI Badminton National Championships 2021 after sweeping their foes last Friday at the TSL Sports Complex. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)
The top-ranked pair of Nate Guerrero and Janelle Pangilinan are living up to high expectations after sweeping its first two games in the open mixed doubles event in the NMI Badminton National Championships 2021 last Friday at the TSL Sports Complex.
Pangilinan and Guerrero first eased past Sefric Veloria and Jen Cardinio, 21-10, 21-6, and then outclassed Chris Hilario and Michaella Serrano, 21-12, 21-19, to move ahead in the finals of the nine-team field.
The finalists will have to wait for their foes in the title match, as the second and last finals ticket will still be contested by the pairs of Joseph Torres and Hannah Choi and Jordan Panglinan and Malou Malasarte. The No. 2 seed Pangilinan and Malasarte downed Danie Macario and Miles Guerrero in two games, 21-10, 21-18 to reach the semifinals of the bottom half of the draw. The tandem of Torres and Choi, on the other hand, needed three games to eliminate Ezekiel Macario and Jen Savellano, 20-21, 21-10,21-18, and set up a semis showdown against Malasarte and Pangilinan.
In an earlier game, Ezekiel Macario and Savellano topped Nicomedez Antonio and Lucelle Lampera, 21-4, 21-4, to earn the right to face the pair of Choi and Torres.
Meanwhile, it will be Janelle Pangilinan versus Choi in the women’s singles finals. Pangilinan dominated Lampera, 21-12, 21-4 to make it to the title game, while Choi followed suit after a victory via walkover against Serrano.
Pangilinan is also in the finals of the women’s doubles event after she and Savellano recorded a 21-7, 21-11 triumph over Miles Guerrero and Malasarte. The duo of Savellano and Pangilinan will go for the division crown this weekend against the pair of Choi and Serrano, who reaches the finals after ousting Cardino and Lampera, 21-6, 21-15.
The rest of the games in the open men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed will be played this weekend, along with the matches in the U19 divisions. This is the first NMI Badminton National Championships that the Northern Marianas Badminton Association is hosting and it’s made possible by the support of Badminton Oceania.
