Youth players win vs veterans

From left, women’s doubles A champions Jen Savellano and Janelle Pangilinan and runners-up Hannah Choi and Alma Ortega pose for a photo after their title match in the IT&E tournament last Sunday at the TSL Sports Complex. (Contributed Photo)

Young guns Jen Savellano and Janelle Pangilinan clinched the women’s doubles A championship in the IT&E Doubles and Mixed Doubles Badminton Competition 2016 after sweeping veterans Hannah Choi and Alma Ortega in last Sunday’s finale at the TSL Sports Complex.

Savellano and Pangilinan were neck-and-neck with their foes in the opening game before escaping with a 22-20 victory in the extended match and then saved enough juice in the second to cruise to a 21-9 win. In the first game, Pangilinan bailed out her team as she scored their last 4 points. She ended up making 13 of their total markers in Game 1. In the second game, it was Savellano’s turn to carry her team, as after Pangilinan had a string of 6 points, the former closed out with their last 5 markers to complete the sweep and finished with 11 points. Choi had 5 markers, including her team’s final point.

The eventual champions marched into the finals after eliminating Windy Fernandez and Lanie Bartolome in the first semis game last Friday. Pangilinan and Savellano took Game 1, 21-11, with the former starting things out for their team, making 4 straight points. Pangilinan continued her strong start, tallying 9 of her team’s next 10 markers midway in the game before Savellano picked up the cudgels late in the period, logging 4 of their last 5 points. Bartolome registered 8 of their 11 points in a losing effort in the opening game.

In the second and last game, Savellano was unstoppable as her 15 points powered them to a 21-9 rout of Bartolome and Fernandez. Savellano controlled the second game after Pangilinan recorded their team’s first 2 points.

In the other Final Four match last Saturday, Choi and Ortega needed three games to knock out the mother and daughter pair of Malou and Nicole Malasarte.

Ortega and Choi prevailed in Game 1, 21-11, with Ortega playing steady in the final half of the opener, drilling 7 straight points before the latter logged the game winner. However, the eventual finalists missed a semis sweep when the Malasartes fought back in the second game with a tough 21-19 win. Nicole did most of the damage in the second game, but it was her mom who posted the last 2 points that lifted them to the close win and kept their finals hopes alive.

In the deciding third game, Ortega and Choi exchanged scores to earn a 21-9 win and book the second finals berth in the division.

Meanwhile, Bartolome and Fernandez rounded out the Top 3 after beating Malou and Nicole in the consolation game. The winners also played an extended game before downing the Malasartes, 21-9, 15-21, 21-16.