MALVINNE ALCALA geared up for the upcoming World Junior Championships as she swept the Ladies and Girls Under-19 crowns while Toby Gadi and Markie Alcala each pulled off a four-peat at the close of the VP Binay Grand Prix Badminton Open Championships-PBaRS fourth leg at Philsports Arena yesterday.
Alcala, 16, survived a spirited first set challenge from Bianca Carlos then held on to essay a tough 22-20, 21-16 victory and capture her second ladies Open singles crown in the P1 million event presented by MVP Sports Foundation and Robinsons Land.
She won P70,000 and restaked her claim as the country’s top player although she settled for No. 3 in the official national ranking after missing two of the other legs in the nationwide circuit that ranked players according to their performance and strength. Alcala later repeated over Carlos, 21-14, 21-10, in the U-19 finals for another P20,000 in victories that augured well for her campaign in the World Juniors in Taiwan Nov. 2-6.
In men’s Open singles, Gadi thwarted Gabriel Magnaye in a tense contest, hacking out a 21-15, 13-21, 23-21 victory marked by close calls at endgame of the 58-minute encounter.
The Golden Shuttle Foundation mainstay won another P70,000, his fourth after completing a sweep of the premier class of the tournament put up by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Rep. Albee Benitez and businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan in their effort to produce world class players./Correspondent Jonas Panerio