Saipan Tribune

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Macario, Omori survive opener

Young guns Ezekiel Macario and Kanata Omori played an extended match in their opening assignment in the Sun Palace Hotel Singles and Doubles Badminton Competition 2013 and made the grade after downing veterans Puy Macario and Joseph Santos last Saturday at the TSL Sports Complex.

Ezekiel Macario and Omori dropped the opening game, 19-21 of their men's doubles B duel against Santos and Puy Macario, but managed to steal the win after sweeping the last two games on Court 3, 21-9, 21-12.

The tandems of Ezekiel Macario and Omori and Santos and Puy Macario are in Pool A of the men's B doubles, which has six pairs, the same number of teams Pool B has. Each pool will have a round-robin format in the elimination and the Top 2 squad in each group will advance to the playoffs.

Edwin Montoya and Saul Gargallo are in Pool B and drew first blood after slipping past Jerry Tan and Mr. Park. Gargallo and Montoya took the first game, 21-15, but, missed the sweep when Park and Tan eked out a 21-20 triumph in the second game. Then in the decider, Montoya and Gargallo coasted to a 21-12 win.

Four other men's B division matches were played in the opening day of the Sun Palace tournament and all of them were decided after only two games.

Joel Ortega and Saliya Rajapakshe earned one of the victories via sweep last weekend, beating Dick Guintu and Celso Agui in the men's A doubles on Court 1, 21-12, 21-12. Then on Court 3, Son Jae Ok and Kim Young Sik gave newcomers Jeremi Montenejo and Kevin Park a rude welcome, cruising to a 21-5, 21-7 victory in the Pool A pairing in the men's C doubles division.

In another men's C doubles match, Jeff Riman and Rommel Bartolome prevailed over Kevin Park and Pool B partner Deether Edralin, 21-14, 21-18. The other Pool B duel last Saturday also saw Eydie Uy and Daniel Siu make short work of JP Nopia and Mhark Apolinar, 21-12, 21-9.

Besides the men's doubles matches, four women's doubles tiff were also scheduled in the opener of Northern Marianas Badminton Association's first tournament for the season.

In the women's C doubles division, newcomers Sally and Tina Lee won their debut against Kim and Jewell, 21-8, 21-10. In the women's C, Jen Savellano and Chris Obaldo also swept Alma Ortega and Diane Francisco, 21-16, 21-9, while Marylyn Montano and Cheng Saturno scored a similar two-game win over Merlie Tolentino and Christy Villaflor, 21-14, 21-10.

Jen Cardinio and Janelle Pangelinan completed the opening day winners in the women's B doubles after thwarting Windy Fernandez and Annette Ta, 16-21, 21-13, 21-16. Four other pairs are entered in the women's B doubles.

Meanwhile, five singles games were played in the opener and three of them were stretched to three games.

In the women's C singles, Roxie Lazaro outclassed Havika Farro, 21-17, 16-21, 21-19, while Lani Santos swept Mykki Caracut, 21-12, 21-18. In the third women's singles match last Saturday, Savellano also took only two games to beat Loida Ito in the B division, 21-11, 21-10.

In the men's singles, Kok Pang outlasted Chris Hilario in the B division, 21-12, 20-21, 21-15, while in the A division, Jexler Caranto topped Mario Diola, 21-17, 18-21, 21-19.