Mika De Guzman moved a step closer to a dream fourth consecutive title after dominating Hailene Diaz, 21–5, 21–8, in the women’s singles quarterfinals of the 2026 Philippine Badminton Open on Friday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
Fresh off her international campaigns and her recent triumph in the FDG Cup women’s singles tournament, the four-time UAAP MVP seized control from the opening rally and never looked back, cruising through the first game with ease.
De Guzman carried that momentum into the second game, where Diaz managed to string together consecutive points only through her opponent’s errors, as the former Ateneo de Manila University standout wrapped up the victory in just 22 minutes.
“Siguro, I had to focus on one tournament at a time kasi andaming naka-line-up na tournaments. So I just had to focus on one tournament at a time because that helped me a lot instead of focusing on other competitions,” said De Guzman.
Awaiting De Guzman in the semifinals is juniors national team standout Eve Bejasa, who outlasted UAAP Season 85 Rookie of the Year and last year’s bronze medalist Patricia De Leon, 19–21, 21–15, 21–19.
Fresh from helping the Philippine junior team secure a historic top-10 finish at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships, the 17-year-old Cebuana raced to an early lead in the opening game before surrendering the crucial points that allowed De Leon to steal the set.
“I didn’t really want to put pressure on myself naman. I just want to give my 100 percent best in each game that I play, and I want to make sure na binuhos ko lahat ng pinag-training-an ko for this tournament,” De Guzman said of her mindset heading into Saturday’s semifinal against her junior national teammate.
Bejasa responded by taking the second game before producing a clutch comeback in the decider, erasing a 17–19 deficit to complete the upset and arrange a showdown with De Guzman.
The other women’s singles semifinal will feature a clash between reigning UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year Brys Ellewis Fuggan and UAAP Season 86 MVP Jochelle Alvarez.
Fuggan survived a tightly contested opening game before fending off a spirited comeback from UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year Althea Dawn Ocampo, 21–19, 22–20, in an action-packed 40-minute encounter.
Alvarez, meanwhile, outlasted University of the Philippines ace and UAAP Season 87 MVP Anthea Gonzalez, 24–22, 10–21, 21–15, in a 47-minute battle.
In the mixed doubles competition, both semifinals will feature all-Smash Pilipinas matchups after the national team pairs swept their respective quarterfinal assignments.
Top seeds Solomon Padiz Jr. and Mary Destiny Untalan booked their place in the final four with a 21–18, 21–16 victory over UP-Allied’s Enzo Rivera and Krissa De Leon. They will face Christian Bernardo and Lea Inlayo, who dispatched Nestor Tapales and Rhafi Santos, 21–15, 21–9.
Defending champion Julius Villabrille also moved closer to a third straight mixed doubles title—this time with new partner Althea Princess Hernandez—after defeating UP’s Arjay Lazareto and Dianne Libaton, 21–17, 21–14.
Alvin Morada and Jeya Pinlac likewise advanced to the semifinals after a 21–15, 21–9 victory over De La Salle University’s Lovic Javier and Army Espe, setting up a showdown against Villabrille and Hernandez.
Meanwhile, the men’s singles and men’s and women’s doubles quarterfinals are scheduled to take center stage when action resumes in the afternoon.
