SIX UST Tiger Shuttlers achieved top 10 placements in their respective divisions in the Philippine Badminton Association’s (PBAD) national rankings released on Aug. 2.
Lady Shuttlers Patricia de Leon and Maria Belen placed third and ninth in the women’s singles division after earning 2,800 points and 1,520 points, respectively.
De Leon also ranked ninth alongside Rhafi Santos with 1,520 points in the women’s doubles category.
In the men’s division, Tiger Shuttler John Dizon was ninth in the singles category with 1,520 points.
UST’s duo of Janzen Panisales and Ron Galve likewise placed ninth with 1,520 points in the men’s doubles division.
Galve and Santos had similar records of 1,520 points and nailed the ninth spot in the mixed doubles category.
UST finished fourth and fifth in the UAAP Season 85 men’s and women’s badminton tournaments, respectively.
The Philippine National Ranking System compiles results from different local tournaments sanctioned by PBAD across five badminton events which include men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
The Tiger Shuttlers competed in several off-season tournaments, which helped boost their placement in the rankings.
De Leon bagged the bronze medal in the 2023 Philippine Badminton Open held in Makati City from Feb. 20 to 26.
Santos clinched the gold medal with Jennifer Saladaga in the women’s doubles category level B in the JFD Cup 2023 held at the DragonSmash Badminton Center in Makati City on July 29.
The Santos-Saladaga duo also won gold in the women’s doubles division level B in the 1st Fortbuilder Badminton Tournament held at the same venue from July 15 to 21.
In the same tournament, Panisales and Galve finished with silver in the men’s doubles category level B.
The PBAD aims to boost its grassroots development program by staging local tournaments starting this month and introducing a juniors ranking system aligned with international standards. Bjorn Del B. Deade
