Alcala misses World Juniors quarterfinal

MANILA, Philippines - Malvinne Ann Alcala shocked joint fifth seed Line Kjaersfeldt in straight sets in the third round but bowed to joint No. 9 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, 14-21, 15-21, and missed the women’s singles quarterfinals of the World Juniors Badminton Championships in Chiba, Japan late Thursday.

Alcala, 16, and tipped as a future international star, scored a walkover win over Thilini Hendahewa of Sri Lanka then rallied from a set down to beat Thai Maetenee Phattanaphitoon, 17-21, 21-11, 21-16.

Ranged against Kjaersfeldt, the Filipina ace, who ruled the 19-under division in the recent Swiss International Junior Championships, didn’t flinch and pounded out an inspiring 21-19, 21-16 victory in the Last 16.

But she lost steam against Yamaguchi and lost a spot in the quarters of the women’s singles that gathered the world’s top players in the ranks.

Still, it was an impressive performance by Alcala, whose setback also ended Team Philippines’ campaign in the annual event as the rest of the contingent, whose stint is sanctioned by the Philippine Badminton Association, also fell one after the other.

Joella de Vera and Mark Alcala, Malvinne’s younger brother and winner of the 17-under crown in the Swiss Juniors, actually hurdled their initial matches with the former beating Uzbek Dilrabo Ahmedova, 21-7, 21-10, and the latter repulsing Sinan Zorlu of Turkey, 13-21, 21-13, 21-19.

But both lost in the second round with Mark Alcala losing to Pratul Joshi, 16-21, 8-21, and De Vera succumbing to Flore Vandenhoucke, 16-21, 7-21.

In other results, John Kenneth Monterubio bowed to Fabian Roth , 16-21, 19-21, Ros Pedrosa lost to Jonathan Dolan, 8-21, 12-21, Marina Caculitan fell to Sun Yu, 2-21, 5-21, and the mixed doubles team of Gerald Sibayan and Kristel Salatan dropped a sorry 21-19, 17-21, 18-21 decision to Andrew D’Souza and Christin Tsai.

Aldrin Morada and Caculitan also lost to joint No. 3 Liu Yuchen and Qingchen Chen in the mixed doubles, 6-21, 11-21, Aires Montilla and Salatan bowed to Wing Chiu Tsang and Ng Wing Yung, 11-21, 19-21, and Alyssa Leonardo and Thea Pomar dropped n 11-21, 7-21 setback to Szu Yu Chen and Ting Yi Chen in women’s doubles while Theodore Co and Alyssa Leonardo lost to Russell Muns and Manon Sibbald, 16-21, 15-21.

Carlos Cayanan and Gerald Sibayan turned back Yusuf Bay and Zorlu, 21-10, 16-21, 21-16, and Vincent Manuel and Alvin Morada edged Mac Lee and Nathan Osborne, 21-15, 20-22, 21-16, but Cayanan and Sibayan fell to Ryan Philip and Marcel Simon, 17-21, 21-23, and Manuel and Morada lost to Darren Devadass and Yew Sin Ong, 5-21, 11-21, in the next round.