THE JVC Badminton Championships crown has remained elusive to the UST Shuttlecockers as they bowed out of the tournament last July 9 at the Glorietta Activity Center.
Season 67 MVP Ricky Bartolome and Alfredo Mailon qualified for the semifinals of the Men’s doubles in the Elite Masters category following an easy victory against the De La Salle University (DLSU) duo of Owen Lopez and Raul Angeles, 15-8, 15-5, last July 6. The defending UAAP champions, however, fell short against the Melvin Llanes-Jaime Llanes connection of the Philippine National Police last July 9, 15-9, 13-15, 11-15.
Bartolome suffered yet another stinging loss after his team-up with sophomore Rose Anne dela Cruz failed to subdue the DLSU tandem of Paola Obañana and Ian Piencienabes in a heartbreaking semifinals, 15-13, 11-15, 15-13 of the Mixed doubles of the same category.
The MVP-Rookie of the Year duo entered the semifinals after thrashing RP team’s Rodel Bartolome, brother of UST’s Bartolome, and Irene Chiu in the quarters.
In other matches, dela Cruz and veteran Kathleen Añasco loss to DLSU’s Kenny Asuncion and Paula Obañana in the quarterfinals of the Ladie’s doubles in an overwhelming 5-15, 0-15 lopsided match.
UST’s Emma Galario walked out early in the tournament, losing to the National’s Amanda Carpio in a tightly-contested match, 6-11, 11-7, 7-11 in the Elite Masters Round of 16.
In the elite category, promising rookies Jemellee Vicencio and Paolo Dawal faltered in the finals of the mixed doubles against DLSU’s sibling duo of Paola Chan and Bryan Chan, 7-15, 8-15.
In the Ladies doubles division, Galario and Vicencio loss to Philippine Star’s Melody Villaceran and Elaine Lao in the quarterfinals, 7-15, 12-15.
Vicencio, likewise wavered in the quarterfinals match against another Philippine Star shuttler, Dahlia Santiago, 7-11, 4-11.
With a depleted lineup last year, the Tiger Shuttlecockers reached the semifinals of the month-long event, while their female counterparts took home runner-up honors. UST’s top guns, Bartolome, Mailon, Añasco and Lyka Leonor left for North Korea midway into the tournament.
