Phl shuttlers assured of bronze in SEA Under-13 tournament

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine team crushed Malaysia, 3-1, to make it to the semifinal round of the 19th Southeast Asian Table Tennis Association Junior Championship boys’ 15-under team event yesterday at the Garden Square of Harrison Plaza Mall in Manila.

The Philippine boys’ 15-under squad, led by Palarong Pambansa standout Ryan Rodney Jacolo, is already assured of a bronze medal with that win over the Malaysian in the quarterfinals. The Philippine boys’ 15-under team finished with a 2-1 win-loss slate in the elimination round.

Ryan Rodney Jacolo, 15, beat first Malaysian Chua Tzong Lin, 11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, in the first single match while Jann Nayre scored a 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6 win over Leong Chee Feng in the second singles to give the Filipinos a 2-0 edge over the Malaysian.

Jacolo and Nayre, however, suffered defeat over Lin and Feng in the doubles, 4-11, 4-11, 7-11, to allow the Malaysian to narrow the gap to 1-2.

But Jacolo came out strong in the third single by beating Feng, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4, to finally send the Philippines to a semifinal match against powerhouse Thailand.

After losing to Singapore, 2-3, in the opening day, the Phl boys’ 15-under team bashed Cambodia, 3-0, and Brunei, 3-0, in the elimination round of the five-day tournament organized by the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines headed by president Ting Ledesma.

Unfortunately, the Philippine team boys’ 18-under, girls’ 15-under and girls’ 18-under squads suffered elimination in the tournament’s team events after losing against their foreign counterparts earlier.