5 pairs face make-or-break games

Five teams are in for rubber matches in the Sun Palace Hotel Singles and Doubles Badminton Competition 2014 at the TSL Sports Complex.
In Group 2 of the women’s Class B doubles, three pairs are battling for the one remaining semis berth. Havikka faro and Mykki Caracut and Cristy Villaflor and Lani Santos are scheduled to square off in the first do-or-die game in Class B doubles before the week ends with the winner facing the duo of Rowena Sison and Sally Hongsin Im for the fourth and last playoff berth.

Diana Francisco and Alma Ortega secured the other semis ticket in Group B after finishing the round-robin elimination with a 3-1 record, while the three other teams in the bracket held similar 1-3 slates. In Group 1, Cheng Saturno and So Young took the first semis seat after their 4-0 record, while Windy Fernandez and Toshiba Obata (3-1) nailed the other one.

In the women’s Class C doubles, only one semis slot is left with Kuen Heen Han and Eun Sook Lee dueling Lani Santos and Gigi Zapanta for the last Final Four berth. The two pairs finished the elimination round with similar 1-3 slates to fall behind qualifiers Patricia Abantao and Nicole Malasarte (3-1), Roxe Lazaro and Emily Vargas (3.1), and Hongsin Im and Tina Lee (2-2).

In the women’s Class A doubles, the semis cast were completed last weekend with Lani Bartolome and Fernandez and Elna Curate and Loyda Ito advancing after earning 3-1 and 1-3 slates,
respectively, in Group 1. In Group 2, Malou Malasarte and Marlene Peraja and Hannah Choi and Ortega tied for first place with their similar 3-1 marks to notch the two other semis berths.

Choi is also in the semifinals in the women’s Class A singles after holding a perfect 4-0 record. Joining her in the Final Four are Janelle Pangilinan (3-1), Bartolome (2-2), and Jen Savellano (1-3).

Women’s Class B singles also completed its qualifiers last week with Francisco 4-0) and Fernandez (3-1) taking the two semis slots in Group 1 and Obata (4-0) and Farro (3-1) clinching the Final Four berths in Group 2.

In the women’s Class C singles, Group 1 awaits the last qualifier, which will be decided by the rubber match between Zapanta and Abantao. Roxe Lazaro (3-1) won the first semis ticket in Group 1, while Nicole Malasarte (4-0) and Santos (2-2) bagged the two semis seats in Group 2.

Semis matches and third place games will be played this weekend, while the championship round is scheduled for next weekend.