Bahia, Bernardo hold off rivals

MANILA, Philippines - Marvin Bahia and John Bryan Bernardo fashioned out thrilling victories against separate rivals to barge into the third round of the boys 13-under division of the Philippine National Open-Ming Ramos Youth Camp badminton championships yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Bahia of Royal K/Theresian Badminton Training Camp engaged in a neck-and-neck fight against Alron Cyril Alonzo of Escoses Training Camp but pulled through, 21-19, 21-19, after 25 minutes of play, while Bernardo of MSI JR Tean needed an extra set to repulse Denzel Jay Jovellanos of ETC, 21-6, 12-21, 21-15.

Quick on his foot and wily with his shots, Bahia stormed to a 19-14 lead in the second frame only to sputter, enabling Alonzo to come back and score four straight points to close within one. But Bahia hung tough at crunchtime to prevail and march to the next round against the winner between Frederick Wee and Jusper Lua, still playing at presstime.

Also in the same action-packed age bracket, Bernardo averted a meltdown and turned back a hard-fighting Jovellanos to advance against the victor in the top seed Jason Valenzuela-Michael Aziz match, also being played at presstime.

Charmane Shane Salvador also hurdled her first-round assignment in the girls’ 15-under to lead the other winners in the tournament sponsored by Victor/PCOME, Bingo Bonanza, Sun Cellular and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Salvador of Allied-Victor momentarily lost grip of her game in the second set but recovered just in time to frustrate Elizabeth Ann Pimentel of MSI JR Team, 21-13, 17-21, 21-13.

The win set her up against the winner between Hannah Rae Baccay of Cami Shuttler and newly minted Palarong Pambansa champion Sarah Joy

Barredo who drubbed Jed Lynward Magat of Royal K/Theresian, 21-13, 21-5, in the first round.

Action in the highly anticipated Open championship kicked off late Monday with national team member Carlos Antonie Cayanan easily progressing to second round with a 21-9, 21-6 rout of Cami Shuttlers’ Cyrus Mendez. Cayanan will next take on Whackers BA Li-Ning’s Ralph Ian Mendez who took a bye to the next round.

Alex Borromeo of ETC crushed Dennis Chan of Cami Shuttlers, 21-7, 21-5, but will have his hands fulls against second-seeded national player Andrei Babad in the second round.

Also winning in the girls 15-under were Alyssa Geverjuan of Whackers BA Li-Ning who beat Cristina Andree Roxas, 21-14, 21-16; Jianne

Mendoza of Babolat Academy who bested Patricia Anne Roda, 23-21, 21-18; and Annie Jung of City Shuttlers-Pampanga who routed Justin Amposta, 21-4, 21-6.