ENTERING THE penultimate day of the 2024 Philippine Badminton Open (PBO), the Ateneo Badminton Team’s respective captains were challenged to rise to the occasion in their semifinal contests, yielding mixed results. Today’s semifinal matchups were held at the First Pacific Leadership Academy Badminton Center in Antipolo, Rizal.

Men’s Singles

First to step up to the plate was Ateneo Men’s Badminton Team (AMBT) Captain Pingkoy Salvado who took on Clarence Villaflor from Cadiz-JBA/Apacs. The veteran Salvado was unable to efficiently counter Villaflor’s attacks in the first set, eventually conceding to his opponent, 13-21.

A more competitive second set followed suit, as both competitors traded blows for the majority of the set. However, Villaflor began to build a lead during the set’s final stages, which ultimately spelled the end for Salvado as he failed to force a third set, 16-21.

Although Salvado fell in straight sets, the Atenean stalwart finished the tournament as the singles division’s second runner-up. His loss marked the end of what has been a fruitful campaign for the AMBT in the men’s division of the PBO.

Women’s Singles

Moving to the women’s side, defending champion and Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team (AWBT) Captain Mika De Guzman squared off against National University’s Karyll Rio. De Guzman came out swinging in the first set to take victory with a score of 21-10.

Looking to fire back in the second set, Rio got off to an early 3-0 run. Unfazed by her adversary’s strong start, De Guzman proceeded to regain the lead. Barring a few service errors, the Blue Eagle ultimately emerged on top, 21-13, to advance to the finals.

De Guzman will now look to defend her PBO title against Ysabel Amora tomorrow, 10:40 AM, at the Gameville Ball Park in Sheridan, Mandaluyong.