Thailand’s Sarunrak Vitidsarn and India’s Ginpaul Sonna made history as the inaugural Philippine International Challenge women’s and men’s singles champions, respectively, as the tournament, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, concluded on Sunday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
Both rising stars needed three games to outlast their compatriots in their respective finals and capture their breakthrough International Challenge titles in the tournament backed by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, PLDT, Yonex, Sunrise, Maynilad, Cignal, MWell, Jollibee, Milksha, and Telescoop.
Vitidsarn weathered a spirited comeback from top seed Tidapron Kleebyeesun before pulling away in the deciding game for a 21–9, 21–23, 21–16 victory after one hour of play, securing her first title at this level.
“When I came here, I was really expecting to land at least in the quarterfinals because the past four tournaments I got into the quarterfinals. And in all those tournaments, I lost in the quarterfinals. But when I went past that in this tournament, I took it one by one, point by point,” said the 19-year-old.
The younger sister of men’s singles world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn hopes the milestone marks the beginning of carving out her own legacy.
“This is my first time winning an IC, so I’m happy and grateful for the hard work I put in, and I thank myself for not giving up,” she added.
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In the men’s singles final, Sonna surged ahead early in the deciding game and never relinquished control, defeating fellow Indian Aryamann Tandon, 25–23, 13–21, 21–16, in a thrilling 55-minute encounter.
“For quite a long time, I was looking for a good performance, and this is more than expected. I didn’t expect to win this tournament, but it was an exciting process, a really fun one. So, I feel really good winning this competition,” said Sonna, who emerged victorious in the tournament that drew players from 28 countries and was supported by the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee.
After winning titles at home, the 20-year-old from Delhi hopes this long-awaited international triumph serves as a springboard for greater success abroad.
“It feels really great to win an international tournament again; it was a valuable experience for me. I just hope to play well and win more tournaments, keep improving, and hope to play better,” Sonna said.
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India also claimed the women’s doubles crown as Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela rallied past Japan’s Miki Kanehiro and Yuna Kato, 16–21, 21–4, 21–17, in the final.
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Malaysia also collected two titles, with Goh Boon Zhe and Dania Sofia taking the mixed doubles and Choong Hon Jian and Wong Vin Sean winning the men’s doubles.
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Goh and Sofia finished a comprehensive sweep of Thailand’s Phunawat Horbanluekit and Fungfa Korpthammakit, 21–4, 21–14.
Choong and Wong, on the other hand, edged out Indonesia’s Taufik Aderya and Alexius Ongkytama Subagio, 21–16, 13–21, 21–15.
Champions in each event received US$1,600, along with a trophy, gold medals, and MWell smartwatches, while the runners-up took home US$960, silver medals, and MWell smartwatches.
