Team White dominates Team Black

Team White’s Jordan Pangilinan leans back for a return to Team Blue’s Deether Edralin during their men’s A singles game in the Sun Palace tournament at the TSL Sports Complex. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Team White prevailed in eight of its 10 matches against Team Black to cruise to a 23-7 victory in the 2016 Sun Palace Badminton Team Tournament over the weekend at the TSL Sports Complex.

The winning squad recorded sweeps in three of the first five matches last Saturday to gain cushion and earned three more wins via straight games last Sunday to improve to a 42-18 record after Week 2.

Jordan Pangilinan gave Team White its first triumph last weekend when he topped Glen Bluutjens in the men’s A singles, 21-13, 21-16. The pairs of Chris Hilario and Nathan Guerrero and Hajin and Taka registered the two other sweeps for Team White with the first duo defeating George and Eydie Uy in the men’s B doubles, 21-12, 21-17, and the second beating Uy and Tim in the men’s C doubles, 21-10, 21-11.

Pangilinan also played in the men’s AB doubles with Guerrero and needed three games to thwart Bluutjens and George, 21-16, 16-21, 21-15. Hannah Choi handed Black Team its lone win last Saturday after outclassing Malou Malasarte, 21-6, 21-10.

Team White and Team Black then returned to the court last Sunday to play the remaining five matches and although the latter won the first pairing, it was not enough to spark the squad’s comeback bid. Anna Alvarez and Loyda Ito gave Team Black a good start when they prevailed against Nicole Malasarte and Lani Santos in the women’s B doubles, 21-19, 16-21, 21-11.

Nicole had back-to-back games and this time paired with Alyssa Velasco in downing Alvarez and Roxanne in the women’s BC doubles, 21-18, 21-15. Team Black also took the three remaining matches with the pairs or Santos and Velasco, Malasarte and Guerrero, and Hilario and Velasco outlasting their respective foes.

Santos and Velasco edged Roxanne and Myrtel Cascabel in the women’s C doubles, 21-10, 21-17; Nicole and Guerrero won over Alvin Alvarez and Ito in the mixed B doubles, 21-11, 21-16; and Hilario and Velasco rallied past Ito and Uy in the mixed BC doubles, 12-21, 21-14, 21-12.

In the other pairing over the weekend, Team Pink escaped with a 16-14 triumph over Team Blue to recover from a 14-16 loss to Team Black last Friday.

Four wins in the last five games allowed Team Pink to steal the win from Team Blue. Husband and wife Jojo and Merlie Savellano sealed it for Team Pink as they outlasted Allan and Anna Omori in the mixed BC doubles, 21-19, 17-21, 21-10.

The pairs of Christy Villaflor and Cheng Saturno, Yoko and Villaflor, and Rodwealth Espana and Saturno also delivered the needed victories for Team Pink last Sunday, while Jen Savellano scored the squad’s lone victory last Saturday after sweeping Lanie Bartolome in the women’s A singles, 21-12, 21-14.