Champions crowned in badminton meet

Six pairs and one singles player in the seven divisions were crowned on Championship Tuesday in the Inaugural Michelob Ultra Badminton Tournament at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The inaugural tournament is supported in part by Michelob-MARPAC, At Your Service, SaipanCell, JET Holdings, PMIC, Serenity Salon, Elegance Café, NIC, Canton Restaurant, National Office Supply, Makeover Beauty Salon, Megavision, Venus Beauty Salon, Vargas Construction, Esolutions Inc., Philippine Consul General Wilfredo Maximo, and N.C. Matsumoto.

Leading the list of winners are Priyantha Wijayaguharatne, who won two titles in the men’s A singles and doubles events. He defeated Ryan Achas in the men’s singles finals with a masterful 21-5, 21-12 win.

Wijayaguharatne added to Achas’ woes when he teamed up with John Nguyen in foiling his bid in the men’s doubles. Achas paired with Lito Mendoza and they suffered a 14-21, 18-21 loss.

Both pairs ended the elimination round with similar 3-1 slates splitting their games. Achas and Mendoza won their first round encounter, but Nguyen and Wijayaguharatne and countered in the final day of the elimination with a 17-21, 21-13, 21-10 triumph.

In the men’s B doubles, Joseph Santos and Alvin Alvarez overcame a slow start to pull off a 20-22, 21-14, 21-16 win over the pair of Roger Vales and Saul Gargallo.

Gargallo and Vales were coming off a 31-26 semifinal win over the duo of Robert Reyes and Gerry Balarao, who met Ariel Mariano and Sherwin Samson in the battle for third place.

Babes Cielo and Loida Ito completed their amazing run with a hard-earned 21-16, 15-21, 21-19 triumph over Marlene Peraja and Emily Vargas in the women’s B finals.

Cielo and Ito opened the tournament with a 31-28 loss against Camille Samonte and Merlie Savellano but bounced back with five straight wins to earn a slot in the finals where they met Peraja and Vargas.

Savellano and Samonte had a consolation of sorts after a 21-23, 21-10, 21-17 win over Shirley Kim and Malou Malasarte netted them third place.

In the mixed doubles, Vales paired up with Malasarte to earn the title due to having the higher quotient among the five pairs that survived the single elimination round.

Balarao and Lot Abuel placed second after a 21-13, 21-18 win over Lucelle Lampera and Gary Bandoja, who earned third place honors.

Balarao and Abuel scored a 31-22 win over Efren Cacdac and Ito in the semis, while Lampera and Bandoja stunned June Pineda and Janice Bungalos, 33-31, in the other pairing.

In other news, the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation will hold a special Mother’s Day Badminton Tournament. The tournament is open to all mothers from 8:30am to 10:30am.

The entrance fee is $3 and it is a doubles event and random draw that will use a single-elimination format. Exciting prizes will be given to the winners.