THE Philippines capped its fleeting stint in the Smart Asia Badminton Championships yesterday with the exit Christian Bernardo and Paul John Pantig in the first round of the men’s doubles event at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Tunasan, Muntilupa.
Bernardo and Pantig took a 7-21, 12-21 beating from the Malaysian tandem of Man Chei Wong and Kai Wun Tee, who needed only 27 minutes on the court to send the Filipino pair packing.
The Filipino duo was the last men standing for the hosts in the competition organized by the Philippine Badminton Association and sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation.
The event was also a vital tuneup for the Filipino campaigners before they compete in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games formally kicking off on May 12 at the My Dinh National Stadium in the capital of Hanoi.
