National junior team standouts Stephen James Pantuan and Roaquine Ramos, and compatriots Ellaikha Canillo and Nica Gulpany, assured the Philippines of two podium finishes after advancing to the semifinals of the inaugural Philippine Junior International Series on Friday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
Pantuan and Ramos booked their place in the men’s U-19 doubles semifinals with a commanding 21–11, 21–16 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Shao Hung Hsu and Fei Li Zhang, while Canillo and Gulpany pulled off a 21–18, 18–21, 21–15 escape against compatriots Imari Dawn Jimenez and Jhiane Sabarillo in the girls’ U-19 doubles.
The results gave the host country two semifinalist pairs in the tournament, which features young athletes from more than 30 countries and is backed by Yonex, Sunrise, Smart, Gameville Central Park, Cignal, mWell, MVP Sports Foundation, Maynilad, Jollibee, Milksha, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, PLDT, TELESCOOP, and Uratex.
“Masaya po kasi hindi naman madali ‘yung pinagdaanan namin. Siyempre, nag-prepare din naman para sa tournament na ‘to. Kaya, sobrang saya po na umabot sa semifinals,” said Pantuan, a 17-year-old product of the National Academy of Sports.
(C) PBAD
Despite Hsu and Zhang holding a height advantage, Pantuan and Ramos dictated the pace of the rallies and controlled the direction of the shuttle, allowing them to take command of the match and finish the contest in just 25 minutes.
“Yung height po namin na sakto sa net, na kaya po namin lahat i-drive na sasakto po ‘min. Ginamit din po namin kasi nakita po namin ‘yung weekness nila,” Ramos, also 17, shared.
Pantuan and Ramos will face top-seeded Malaysians Khairul Azlan Khashah and Yusuf M. Iqbal in Saturday’s semifinals. Khashah and Iqbal earned their spot in the last four after defeating the Philippines’ Daniel Camaganacan and Salvador Mora III, 21–13, 21–14.
With a podium finish already assured, Pantuan said the young Filipinos are eager to keep the Philippine flag flying high and hopefully reach Sunday’s championship round.
“Happy rin po para sa Philippine badminton community po kasi nakaka-witness po sila ng ganoong laruan. Makita nila kung ano ‘yung standard sa abroad. Parang na-mo-motivate po sila na mas galingan pa sa training at sa mga laro,” added the Tacloban native.
For Canillo and Gulpany, their semifinal berth came at the expense of fellow Filipinos Jimenez and Sabarillo in a tightly contested all-Filipino quarterfinal.
The victory ensured that the hosts would have representation in the final four of both the boys’ and girls’ U-19 doubles events.
The two semifinal berths provided a major boost for the hosts, who also suffered several tough defeats earlier in the day.
(C) PBAD
Christel Fuentespina’s campaign ended in the women’s U-19 singles quarterfinals after she absorbed a tight 21–15, 15–21, 19–21 loss to top-seeded Indian Naishaa Kaur Bathoye.
“Masaya pa rin po ako sa performance ko kasi seed one po ‘yung nakalaban ko, and then nagkaroon po ako ng chance na makalaban po siya. Ginawa ko naman po ‘yung best ko; happy pa rin po ako. Sayang nga po kasi ando’n na ‘ko, pero baka hindi ko pa po time,” said Fuentespina.
Eve Bejasa also saw her campaign come to an end after Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen posted a 21–18, 21–13 victory in their quarterfinal clash.
Ralph Niño Dalojo and Enya Freya Edyna Almazan likewise suffered a close defeat in the mixed U-19 doubles, falling to fourth-seeded Malaysians Yusuf M. Iqbal and Hwee Ling Leong, 17–21, 18–21, in a second-round match that lasted less than 30 minutes.
In the girls’ U-15 singles event, Princess Delima put up a strong fight in her international debut but ultimately yielded to top-seeded Malaysian Leanne Fong, 19–21, 15–21.
Fans can watch select matches throughout the tournament, while all championship matches will be streamed live and free on PusoP.com and the Smart Sports Facebook and YouTube platforms, bringing the country’s newest international badminton event to audiences nationwide.
