National junior team standouts Stephen James Pantuan and Roaquine Ramos made history by securing a podium finish for the Philippines in the inaugural Philippine Junior International Series on Friday, Aug. 7, at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
The fourth-seeded duo of Pantuan and Ramos delivered a commanding 21–11, 21–16 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Shao Hung Hsu and Fei Li Zhang to advance to the semifinals of the men’s U-19 doubles event in the tournament backed by Yonex, Sunrise, Smart, Gameville Central Park, Cignal, mWell, MVP Sports Foundation, Maynilad, Jollibee, Milksha, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, PLDT, TELESCOOP, and Uratex.
“Masaya po kasi hindi naman madali ‘yung pinagdaanan namin. Siyempre, nag-prepare din naman para sa tournament na ‘to. Kaya, sobrang saya po na umabot sa semifinals,” said Pantuan, a 17-year-old product of the National Academy of Sports.
Despite Hsu and Zhang holding a height advantage over the two Filipinos, Pantuan and Ramos dictated the pace of the rallies and controlled the direction of the shuttle, allowing them to take command of the match in just 25 minutes.
“Yung height po namin na sakto sa net, na kaya po namin lahat i-drive na sasakto po ‘min. Ginamit din po namin kasi nakita po namin ‘yung weekness nila,” Ramos, also 17, shared.
Having reached the semifinals of the tournament, which features young athletes from more than 30 countries, Pantuan said they are ready to continue flying the Philippine flag higher in Saturday’s semifinal and, hopefully, Sunday’s championship round.
“Happy rin po para sa Philippine badminton community po kasi nakaka-witness po sila ng ganoong laruan. Makita nila kung ano ‘yung standard sa abroad. Parang na-mo-motivate po sila na mas galingan pa sa training at sa mga laro,” added the Tacloban native.
Pantuan and Ramos will test their mettle against top-seeded Malaysians Khairul Azlan Khashah and Yusuf M. Iqbal, who defeated the Philippines’ Daniel Camaganacan and Salvador Mora III, 21–13, 21–14.
Ellaikha Canillo and Nica Gulpany also joined Ramos and Pantuan in reaching the semifinals, advancing in the girls’ U-19 doubles after a 21–18, 18–21, 21–15 escape against compatriots Imari Dawn Jimenez and Jhiane Sabarillo.
It was a welcome development for the hosts, who suffered several tough defeats earlier in the day.
Christel Fuentespina’s campaign ended in the quarterfinals after she absorbed a tight 21–15, 15–21, 19–21 loss to top-seeded Indian Naishaa Kaur Bathoye in the women’s U-19 singles event.
“Masaya pa rin po ako sa performance ko kasi seed one po ‘yung nakalaban ko, and then nagkaroon po ako ng chance na makalaban po siya. Ginawa ko naman po ‘yung best ko; happy pa rin po ako. Sayang nga po kasi ando’n na ‘ko, pero baka hindi ko pa po time,” said Fuentespina.
Eve Bejasa also saw her campaign come to an end after Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen posted a 21–18, 21–13 victory in their quarterfinal clash.
Ralph Niño Dalojo and Enya Freya Edyna Almazan likewise suffered a close defeat in the mixed U-19 doubles, falling to fourth-seeded Malaysians Yusuf M. Iqbal and Hwee Ling Leong, 17–21, 18–21, in a second-round match that lasted less than 30 minutes.
In the girls’ U-15 singles event, Princess Delima put up a strong fight in her international debut but ultimately yielded to top-seeded Malaysian Leanne Fong, 19–21, 15–21.
Fans can watch select matches throughout the tournament, while all championship matches will be streamed live and free on PusoP.com and the Smart Sports Facebook and YouTube platforms, bringing the country’s newest international badminton event to audiences nationwide.
