Alcalas rule Prima badminton tournament
Mark Shelley Alcala copped two titles in the eighth Prima Pasta Badminton Open Championship singles class, while sister Malvinne “Poca” Alcala regained her spot as the country’s top woman player recently at the Powersmash Badminton courts in Makati.
Alcala, 17, relied on stamina and skills to crush national junior player Ross Leenard Pedrosa, 21-16, 23-21, to take the men’s singles open title of the competition supported by Smart Telecommunication and Babolat.
Alcala of Team Allied Victor earlier bashed Cayel Pajarillo in the Under-19 singles, 21-18, 2117, to win his first crown in the annual badminton competition participated in by over 2,000 participants nationwide.
Malvinne, his elder sister, outplayed Ateneo’s Bianca Ysabelle Carlos, 21-14, 9-21, 21-17, to clinch the women’s open singles in the event organized by Alex Lim and sanctioned by the Philippine Badminton Association.
The competition was supported by Babolat and SMART Communications through MVP Sports Foundation, Boysen Paints, Morning Star Milling, Mabz Builders, ILO Construction, Monolith Construction, Monocrete Construction, Pioneer Insurance, Promax, Regent Foods Corp., Vitwater, Unilever, Del Monte Fit N’ Right and Forthright Events.
Ten-year-old Jewel Angelo Albo of Babolat, rallied past Jason Vanzuela, 19-21, 21-17, 21-11, to capture the boys’ Under-15 singles title, while Mikaela Joy de Guzman of Golden Shuttle Foundation defeated Anthea Marie Gonzales of Team JB, 21-9, 21-5, to win the girls’ U-15 singles crown.
Other singles champions: Paola Beatriz Bernardo (U-19); Janelle Anne Andres of Babolat and Kyle Legaspi (U17); Nestojan Tapales and Vianna Meryll Antonio (U-13); Jian Cedric Magtibay and Althea Princess Hernandez (U-11).
Other sponsors are Bakerite, Elite Air, Fortune life, Goldilocks, Jones Lang La Salle Leechiu, Jose Siao Ling & Associates, Mega Subic Terminal Services, Sincere Construction, U2 Electrical, United Colourtech, Wil-An Aluminum, Window One, Gardenia, Amstar, Waterline Engineering, Sidel Industrial, Ultra Cote, NCS Builders, Unipak Plastics and Containers, St. Francis Square, GCI Industries, Belarmino & Associates and Trisphere Trading.