IAN Lubao and Windy Fernandez, among other players, advanced in their respective TakeCare Badminton Open categories on Saturday at the Ada gym.
Ian Lubao, who took a hit on day 1 of the tournament, managed to take down Kevin Barros in the C Men’s Singles losers bracket, 21-8, 21-18.
Lubao’s strategy was to throw Barros off-balance and then attack which worked well in the first set.
Lubao played aggressively with constant smashes which forced Barros to return with lobs. But these gave Lubao the opportunity to aim for the ground with no chance of another return. He bagged the first set by a mile 21-9.
In the second set, Barros played with smarter placements including slick serves which turned the tables and forced Lubao to answer with lobs, allowing Barros to finish strong.
Neither player was able to gain a safe distance until crunch time. Despite Barros’ fighting spirit, Lubao managed to reach game-point, clinch the second set and win the match, 21-18.
B Women’s Singles
Windy Fernandez advanced in the B Women’s Singles after outplaying Lucelle Lampera 21-14, 21-5.
Fernandez showed her experience with smart placements and counters to gain control.
In the first set, she covered a lot of ground to fend off the incoming assault and used overhead returns when she needed to create space while she repositioned herself. She won the first set, 21-14.
In the second set, more of the same was seen but this time with Fernandez almost in complete control.
Lampera was only able to score due to Fernandez’s errors, but there weren’t a lot of them, and soon, Fernandez sealed the win, 21-5.
A Men’s Singles
In the A Men’s Singles, Joseph Torres bested Janelle Pangilinan, 21-15, 21-15.
Torres’s persistency was the key to victory as Pangilinan stood her ground with a handful of offensive highlights. But Torres stuck to his plan and played steadily to win the first set.
In the second set, both players made countless exchanges, but in the end, Pangilinan failed to crack Torres’s wall of defense.
Joining the winner’s circle were Sefric Veloria who edged Paulo Quidato 21-18, 21-19; Dez Nikomedes who thumped Noah Lee 21-15, 21-17; and Rowena Houk who outlasted Lucelle Lampera 21-13, 16-21, 21-19.
Sefric Veloria extends for the smash during a C Men’s Single game of the TakeCare Badminton Open Saturday at the Ada gym.
Windy Fernandez attempts a serve during a B Women’s Single game of the TakeCare Badminton Open Saturday at the Ada gym.
