ANTIPOLO CITY.– National team standouts Jelo Albo and Mika De Guzman took a step closer to their respective bids for the men’s and women’s singles titles at the 2024 Philippine Badminton Open following their semifinal wins Monday at the First Pacific Leadership Academy here.
Albo, the 20-year-old hometown bet, fended off the challenge of top seed RJ Oba-ob of the Philippine Air Force in 39 minutes of intense rallies 21-12, 21-10, to move into the final of the men’s singles in this Philippine Super 500 tournament, sponsored by Smart, Mizuno, the Philippine Sports Commission, and the MVP Sports Foundation.
“Totally, wala naman po talaga akong sinet na goal sa sarili ko. Siguro, sa lahat naman, ang goal nila is mag-champion. Pero para sa ‘kin lang is mapakita ko ‘yung best ko at mag-perform ng maayos,” said the UAAP Season 85 Rookie of the Year from University of the Philippines.Albo, who lives just a few kilometers from the venue, knew the capabilities of Oba-ob, a former national team member, and understood he had to seize his opportunities to score when they arose.
