Cebuano smashers flaunted their smashing prowess to advance to the finals of the inaugural Sun Cellular-Ming Ramos National Junior Badminton Championships-Visayas Leg at the Racquet Zone badminton courts yesterday.
Leading the list of winners is Dexter Opalla of University of Cebu (UC) badminton team, who marched to the title match in the boys 19-under division by beating Emilio Jose Mangubat in the semifinals, 21-13, 21-11.
Opalla will meet another Mangubat in the finals as he takes on Emilio Mangubat Jr. of the Whackers Badminton Team of Consolacion, Cebu, who crushed University of San Jose-Recoletos’s (USJ-R) Angelo Ouano, 21-15, 21-15.
Finals matches start at 8 a.m. today.
Opalla will also play in the boys’ U19 doubles finals as he and Nino Jay Quindao of the Macaas Badminton Club of Catmon, Cebu face Balamban Badminton Club’s Stephen Suficiencia and Christian Jubil Sundo.
The Opalla-Quindao tandem edged Emilio Jose Mangubat and Rex Mangubat, 21-19,14-21, 21-11, in the semis.
In the under-17 division, Mangubat Jr. and Southwestern University’s (SWU) Ryan Doromal forged a finals date after routing their respective semis foes.
Mangubat Jr. beat Quindao, 21-14, 21-12 while Doromal ripped J. Ibabao of Trinity Christian School of Bacolod City, 21-12, 21-13.
Anthone Pete Abellana and Doromal paired up in the U17 doubles and will face Karl Alpuerto and A. Armamento of the Macaas Badminton Club in the finals.
Abellana and Doromal won over Michael Troyo and James Villarante of University of San Carlos (USC), 26-24, 15-21, 21-15, while Armamento and Alpuerto edged Tay Tung HS’s Eljee Gavile and Eldrick Paul Tan, 20-22, 21-17, 21-17.
Other winners in the boys’ side are USC’s Paul James Ouano and fellow Carolinian Carl Bernard Bejasa, who will dispute the boys’ under-15 singles title.
Bejasa and Ouano also advanced to the doubles final against Racquet Zone’s Lerdyn Laborte and Neil John Navarrete.
Laborte and Navarrete, however, will be playing against each other in the U13 singles.
Allen Penute of Racquet Zone Badminton Club lost to Laborte, 21-9, 21-12, in the semifinals.
Making the finals in the girls side are Talisay City’s Mia Manguilimotan and Laville Laborte (U15), SWU’s Tricia Opon and Android Rose Tingson (U17), Laville Laborte and Jessa Diamante and Opon and Tingson (U17 doubles), and Eclaire Ann Satera of Racquet Zone Badminton and Zina Bejasa (U13).
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