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Sun Palace badminton kicks off
Two young pairs opened up their respective title campaigns with two wins as the annual Sun Palace Hotel Singles and Doubles Badminton Competition kicked off its third season last weekend at the TSL Sports Complex in Gualo Rai.
Deether Edralin, left, watches the direction of his drop shot as Glen Bluutjens tries to return it in their men’s doubles A match in the Sun Palace Hotel Singles and Doubles Badminton Competition, which kicked off its third season last weekend at the TSL Sports Complex in Gualo Rai. (Jon Perez)
Community Badminton Club’s Deether Edralin and Jordan Pangilinan and the Saipan Badminton Club pair of Jongmin Lee and Youngson Yu are the likely title favorites after beating two other pairs in the men’s doubles A division.
Edralin and Pangilinan grinded out a 21-20, 21-20 win over Glen Bluutjens and new doubles partner Oh Im Bog last Friday then followed it up with a 21-20, 21-15 decision against Andreau Galvez and Zeke Macario.
Lee and Yu also defeated Bluutjens and Oh, 21-13, 21-20, on Saturday and Galvez and Macario, 21-7, 21-18, on Sunday.
Bluutjens won last year’s men’s doubles crown with Sam Jones as his partner.
Oh and Lee teamed up in men’s doubles B where they lead Group 1 after victories over Gary Bandoja and Edwin Maratas, 21-9, 21-11, and Celso Agui and Ariel Mariano, 21-16, 21-20.
In women’s doubles B, SBC’s Julie Lee and Rowena Sison ended Lucelle Lampera and Marylyn Montano’s two straight wins to pose a threat on the Golden Racquet pair’s title drive.
Lee and Sison scored a 21-18, 21-13 win over Lampera and Montano—who made short work of Taga Badminton Club’s Rose Lazaro and Gigi Zapanta, 21-13, 21-8, and Lani Santos and Merlie Tolentino, 21-7, 21-8.
Galvez bounced back in the men’s singles with consecutive victories against Pangilinan, 21-19, 21-19, and Edralin, 21-14, 21-15.
Newbies Jeremi Montenejo, Miki Ya, and Daniel Kim are leading their respective groups in the men’s C division after posting two wins
Montenejo dispatched John Costales, 21-13, 21-15, and Tae Ho Kim, 21-10, 21-15; Ya downed Costales, 21-15, 21-14, and Jerico Montenejo, 21-12, 21-6; while Daniel Kim defeated Raphael Zapanta, 21-11, 21-11, and Owen Ou, 21-10, 21-19.
In other Sunday results, Edralin outlasted Shirley’s Badminton Club’s Macoi Aguda, 11-21, 21-16, 21-18, in the men’s singles A; Vilma Reyes of Shirley’s downed Lazaro, 21-18, 21-9, in the women’s singles C.
Taga’s Tolentino and Santos won by default against Havika Farro and Nicole Malasarte in the women’s doubles B, while Shirley Kim and Loida Ito completed a 21-16, 21-20 decision over the CBC pair.
In singles matches, reigning men’s C champion A.J. Ortega beat Raphael Zapanta, 21-17, 21-19; Tolentino downed Taga teammate Christy Villaflor, 21-18, 21-9, in women’s B; Irish Pagarao defeated Santos, 21-14, 21-14; Hannah Choi tripped Janelle Pangilinan, 21-14, 21-17, in women’s A; and in men’s A, Jordan Pangilinan trounced Blutjens, 21-18, 21-17.
