Solomon Padiz Jr. and Julius Villabrille marked an impressive debut in the 2025 BWF World Championships, sweeping Algeria’s Koceila Mammeri and Youcef Sabri Medel, 21-15, 21-13, in the men’s doubles Round of 64 on Tuesday morning (Philippine time) at the Adidas Arena in Paris, France.
The two National University standouts capped the day with one of two victories for the Philippines, as Nicole Albo and Lea Inlayo earlier dominated the United Arab Emirates’ Mysha Omer Khan and Taabia Khan in women’s doubles action.
Padiz and Villabrille showcased excellent court coverage and a wide variety of shots that kept the Algerians off balance, quickly building a 10-5 advantage in the second set. Mammeri and Medel managed to narrow the gap to 8-11 at the interval, but that was as close as they would get.
The Filipinos found gaps in their opponents’ defense and maintained aggressive attacks that forced errors. Two miscues by Mammeri and Medel on short returns sealed the match in just 25 minutes.
This marks the second straight World Championships where the Philippines advanced to the Round of 32. In the 2023 edition, Alvin Morada and Christian Bernardo stunned reigning African champions Jarred Elliott and Robert Summers of South Africa, 21-17, 21-13, also in the Round of 64.
Early on, Padiz and Villabrille had to adjust to the Algerians’ height advantage. Short shots were ineffective and often led to errors, prompting the duo to shift speeds and vary their placements. Their strategy paid off as they surged ahead, 18-10, before fending off a late rally by Mammeri and Medel to secure the first set, 21-15.
Currently ranked world No. 126, Padiz and Villabrille will aim for an upset later Tuesday night (Philippine time) against Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin, the world No. 16 pair, at around 10:40 p.m.
Meanwhile, Albo and Inlayo will face another tough test when they take on Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih Yun of Chinese Taipei at 9 p.m.
