Lea Inlayo and Nicole Albo are now just two wins away from defending their women’s doubles crown, while Alvin Morada and Christian Bernardo delivered the biggest shocker of the Philippine National Badminton Open so far.
Top seeds and defending champions stayed on track for glory as the semifinal cast of the 2025 Philippine Badminton Open was determined following a thrilling day of quarterfinal action on Thursday.
Jewel Albo, the reigning men’s singles titleholder, is poised for a potential finals rematch with top-seed Clarence Villaflor after securing a 21-17, 21-18 victory over Lyrden Laborte in the quarterfinals.
Albo’s next challenge comes in the form of Rabie Jayson Oba-ob, who mounted a comeback after dropping the first set to defeat Gift Linaban, 16-21, 21-19, 21-10.
Villaflor, for his part, made quick work of Arthur Samuel Salvado Jr., winning 21-9, 21-6, and will now meet Mark Velasco, who triumphed over Marc Joel Clarence Perez, 21-14, 21-16.
Meanwhile, Mika de Guzman continues her dominance in the women’s singles event, cruising to a 21-8, 21-8 win over Brys Fuggan to advance to the semifinals and keep her quest for a three-peat alive.
The 23-year-old will now face Patricia De Leon, who secured her semifinal spot with a 21-12, 21-16 victory over Karyll Rio.
Last year’s runner-up, Ysabel Amora, and Christel Rei Fuentespina complete the women’s singles semifinal lineup, each securing victories over Eve Bejas and Haileen Reeze Diaz, respectively.
In the women’s doubles, defending champions Lea Inlayo and Nicole Albo are just two wins away from retaining their title after defeating Marielle Alvarez and Jennifer Saladaga, 21-7, 28-26, in the quarterfinals.
The top-seeded pair will face Anthea Marie Gonzales and Kimberly Lao, who advanced with a 21-15, 21-12 victory over unseeded Trishia Acas and Eve Bejasa. In the other semifinal, Andrea Hernandez and Mary Destiny Untal will meet Althea Dawn Ocampo and Jochelle Alvarez.
In the men’s doubles scene, second-seeded duo Solomon Padiz Jr. and Julius Villabrille, last year’s runners-up, are on a mission for redemption. They secured a 21-17, 21-12 win over Mark Anthony Bernal and Arjay Lazareto in the quarterfinals and are now preparing for a semifinal clash with Michael Adrian Clemente and Mohammad Jalmer Amerodin.
The biggest shock of the quarterfinals came when Alvin Morada and Christian Bernardo stunned top-seeded Nestojan Tapales and Lanz Ralf Zafra, dominating them 21-12, 21-11.
The underdogs will now face Marc Joel Clarence Perez and Jacinth Paul Ruedas, who narrowly defeated John Vincent Espinoza and Ron Galve in a thrilling 21-10, 18-21, 21-14 encounter.
In mixed doubles, Albo and Villabrille are on track for redemption after last year’s heartbreaking loss afer the pair secured a 21-16, 16-21, 21-8 win in the quarterfinals.
They will next face Joella Geva De Vera and Christian Bernardo, who pulled off a stunning victory over second seeds Sarah Barredo and James Villarante, 21-11, 14-21, 21-17.
The other mixed doubles semifinal featured Charles Bagasbas and Althea Rio Fuentespina taking on Untal and Padiz Jr. for a spot in the final.
Catch all the action starting 12:00 p.m. live on One Sports+ and the Pilipinas Live app!
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]