Alcala cops Singapore youth badminton title

MANILA, Philippines - Malvinne Ann Alcala capped her remarkable campaign in the Singa­pore Youth International Badminton Championships 2010 with a 21-15, 21-18 victory over local bet Xiaoyu Liang, winning the girls’ Under-17 crown at the Yio Chu Kang Sports Hall in Singa­pore Sunday.

The 15-year-old Alcala seized control in the early going with her wide array of shots then held off the rallying Liang in the second set with a steady game to pull off the 37-minute victory before a dejected hometown crowd.

“It was tough but I really gave my best shot to win this one,” said Alcala, who reached the main draw of the tough Hong Kong Super Series last week. “This win only proved that we (Filipi­nos) can be at par with the best.”

The victory came on the heels of her 21-16, 21-19 triumph over Indonesian Febtria Adistra Ratoputri in the semi­final round. She earlier beat Nastasia Kristiani Patricia, 21-4, 21-7, then booted out another Indonesian, Uzchi, 21-8, 21-13, before downing Wing Yung Ng of Hong Kong, 21-11, 21-13, in the quarters.

The top-seeded Alcala’s latest triumph also made her the player to beat in the Ming Ramos-Victor National Open, Youth and Corporate Badminton Championships unfolding Dec. 27 at Club 650 and PSC Badminton Hall.