Roadrunners rule Saipan Times badminton

The Racket Roadrunners flash the No. 1 sign after ruling the inaugural Saipan Times Open Badminton Team Tournament as they beating the Red Tigers in the finals last Sunday at the TSL Sports Complex. (Jon Perez)

The Racket Roadrunners survived a tightly fought finals match-up against the Red Tigers to become the inaugural champions of the Saipan Time Open Badminton Team Tournament held over the weekend at the TSL Sports Complex in Gualo Rai.

The Roadrunners were trailing by three, 9-12, heading into the last three events but scored consecutive three-point wins to earn some breathing room.

All matches are in doubles—men’s, women’s and mixed—with a two-game win giving the victorious pair three points and two for the winning duo and one for the losers if the match went to three games.

The Roadrunners scored three points each in the men’s and women’s B events to take a 15-12 advantage, leaving the women’s BC match the deciding factor in the finalists’ title drives.

The Red Tigers were hoping to earn three points in the women’s BC event, fielding the pair of Havika Farro and Baby Banadera against the Roadrunners’ Lucelle Lampera and newcomer Miles Rodriguez.

Had the Roadrunners-Tigers match up ended at 15-all, the team with the most number of points scored will be declared champions.

All eyes were on Court 3 as members of both teams were keenly waiting for the outcome of the match. Lampera and Rodriguez escaped with a 21-18 decision in the opening game as the opposing teams played great court defense and battled for every point.

The first game result automatically gave the Roadrunners one point to hike their record to 16 and clinch the crown. The match continued despite the Roadrunners’ title win with Farro and Banadera coming back in the second game with a 21-10 result, but they failed to end the tournament with a win when they dropped a 21-17 decision in the third game.

The Red Tigers scored their other three-point wins in the men’s C and men’s BC, and mixed C, then pushed the Roadrunners to deciding games in the women’s AB and mixed AB events to briefly enjoy a 12-9 lead.

Ronnie Tan and Nathan Guerrero downed Taeho Kim and John Costales, 21-12, 21-10. Tan then teamed up with Edwin Montoya in completing a 21-17, 21-18 triumph over the pair of Kim and Oh Imbog in the men’s BC. Tan clinched his third win with Vilma Reyes as his partner, scoring a quick 21-9, 21-11 victory against Kim and Erica Jung.

In the women’s AB and mixed AB events, the Tigers then managed to push the Roadrunners to three games.

Hannah Choi and Elna Curate pulled off a 21-13, 14-21, 21-11 victory against Marlene Peraja and Rowena Sison, while Curate and Jordan Pangilinan dropped a 15-21, 21-12, 13-21 decision over Sison and Andreau Galvez.

The Roadrunners opened their title bid with a win when Oh and Sison delivered a 21-13, 21-12 victory over Curate and Montoya in the mixed B event.

Meanwhile, the Armatech Smashers clinched third place after posting an 18-12 decision over the Badminators.