By MARK REY MONTEJO
Lovely Mae “Bebang” Orbeta displayed razor-sharp precision and great poise to reign supreme in the 2026 Philippine Women’s Darts Open at the Winford Resort and Casino in Manila recently.
Orbeta, 21, shrugged off the pressure and dethroned Japan’s Kosuzu Iwao with a 5-3 victory in their best-of-9 finale to conquer the distaff side of the annual tilt, which this year’s edition featured a 32-player field composed of local and international darters.
It marked Orbeta’s third title in the tournament after claiming the championship in 2018 and 2019.
Aside from clinching her third overall Philippine Open crown, the Caloocan City native took home the grand winner’s purse of P100,000.
“Thank you po, Lord Jesus, for giving me the strength, courage, and confidence to keep fighting until the end,” Orbeta wrote on her social media post.
“Sa lahat po ng mga sumusuporta sakin, Maraming maraming Salamat po,” she added.
Before hoisting the trophy, Orbeta outshone compatriot Aileen Oclarit, 4-2, in the semifinal, and Japanese Yukie Sakaguchi, a 4-3, in the quarters.
The 2025 WDF World Cup Women singles champion dismantled fellow Filipinas Daphne Navida and Paula Picarra off a similar 4-0 result in Last 16 and 32, respectively.
Up next for Orbeta are local tournaments in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Baguio later this month, before taking on a daunting task in a WDF World Bronze Ranking Event hosted by Singapore in October.
Meanwhile, Terry Jun Hao Tan of Malaysia claimed the men’s title after beating Haruki Muramatsu of Japan, 6-5, in the finals.
