RP mainstays reach JVC quarterfinals

Defending champion Ian Piencenaves and second seed Kennevic Asuncion continued to dominate the field with their big games even as three unfancied bets barged into the quarterfinal round of the men’s singles in the JVC Open Badminton Championships at the PSC Badminton Hall at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila yesterday.

Piencenaves encountered some resistance from Ricky Bartolome but still prevailed convincingly in the end for a 15-7, 15-7 victory that lined him up against one of the three lesser-lights who gatecrashed the quarterfinal round of the centerpiece elite category which features the members of the national team.

Wilson Frias, who bundled out fifth-ranked Wally Fernandez Tuesday, added William Gabuelo to his growing list of victims as he fashioned out a 15-6, 15-0 victory over the Ateneo-Yonex bet to gain a crack at the top-ranked player in the fold.

Asuncion, seeking to regain the crown he won in the inaugural staging of the event put up by electronics giant JVC in 2001, hardly worked out a sweat in disposing of Jan Mijares, 15-1, 15-1, to arrange a clash with Santo Tomas’ Alfredo Mailon Jr., who rallied from a set down to beat Rhamir Antonio, 13-15, 15-14, 15-8.

Kennie Asuncion and Alma Ledesma likewise continued to live up to their billing as the top two players in the distaff side, beating their respective rivals with relative ease to advance to the quarterfinals.

Kennie, bidding for a third straight crown in this event staged by IMG and backed by Pioneer Insurance, Gosen, Alaska Milk Corp., GenTxt, Tokyo Tokyo, Accel, Ayala Center, I-Ayala, Rudy Project, K-Lite 103.5 and The STAR, whitewashed May Rodriguez, 11-0, 11-0, while Ledesma trounced Joan Javier, 11-3, 11-1.

Jaime Junio, who also upended fancied Prospero Aguilar in the Round of 32, outlasted Bogie De Guia with a solid game in the third set to hack out a 15-4, 8-15, 15-6 triumph to set up a match with joint third-seeded bet Rodel Bartolome, who downed Rodil Sertan, 15-10, 15-1.

But it was Lloyd Escoses who pulled off the day’s biggest upset when he stunned fifth-ranked Reynaldo Selga of UST with a 15-11, 15-4 victory in the other draw in the upper bracket. The 22-year-old BCMI-FEU, who will join Piencenaves and Asuncion in the RP team competing in this year’s SEA Games in Vietnam, will next face Arolas Amahit, a joint third-ranked player who swamped Christopher Flores, 15-13, 15-1.

Meanwhile, badminton action shifts from Rizal Memorial to Glorietta Activity Center today with the staging of the quarterfinal round of the men’s and ladies singles, mixed doubles, and men’s and ladies doubles events starting at 12:30 p.m. Also on tap is the semifinal round of the junior events in the 14-under category.

Joining Kennie Asuncion and Ledesma in the Last 8 of the ladies division are Alana May Olavides, who beat Dhoreena Bognot, 11-2, 11-2; Katheen Anasco, who defeated Jelica Molino, 11-1, 11-5; Melody Villaceran, who whipped Myla Rebatis, 11-1, 11-1; Andrea Chu, who scored a walkover win over Jackie Floresca; Irene Chiu, who booted out Sheryl Caraig, 11-1, 11-1; and Amanda Carpo, who dominated Aldellyn Po, 11-4, 11-4.

In the ladies doubles of the seniors category, the Teresa Guevarra-Elvira Pascua tandem outclassed Leonchita Lascano and Maria Clarette Gonzales, 15-7, 15-5, to set up a semifinal clash with the Jeanette Banquiles-Guinevere Chan pair, who blanked Gilda Guillermo and Glenda Litong, 15-0, 15-0.

The other semis match pits Julieta Kagalingan and Alberty Angeles, who beat Rosario Santiago and Patricia Villafor, 15-3, 15-10, against Thea del Rosario and Francesca Lee, who needed an extra set to down Dina Guerrero and Teresa David, 15-6, 15-17; 15-9.