THE DUO OF GELITA Castillo and Dia Magno won the doubles open title after beating the pair of Malvinne Alcala and Danica San Ignacio, 21-15, 17-21, 21-19, in the MVP Sports Foundation-Bingo Bonanza Philippine Badminton Ranking System (PBaRS) tournament at the Pohang Badminton Courts in Bacolod City late Sunday.
The Castilo-Magno tandem capped off what was a fruitful weekend for them as they dethroned Bianca Carlos and Patrisha Malibiran in the Under-19 girls doubles, pulling off a 21-19, 21-15 victory.
Those twin victories netted Castilo and Magno a total of P90,000, including P70,000 in the Open category of the weeklong tournament.
Castilo and Magno, which trounced the pair of Cheska Bermejo and Rosalee Soberano for the Open crown in the event’s inaugurals last March, bucked a second set meltdown with a tough stand in the decider to eke out the victory and foil Alcala’s bid for a third title in the second leg of the four-stage ranking circuit. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio