DUMAGUETE CITY – University of Santo Tomas 1’s Babylove Barbon and Gen Eslapor rallied from a set down to outlast Perlas’ Bea Tan and Dij Rodriguez, 17-21, 21-14, 15-12, and claim the women’s crown in the BVR On Tour: Dumaguete Open held recently at the Rizal Boulevard sand court here.
After yielding three match points, high-flying Barbon delivered the championship-clinching drop shot to complete a perfect 5-0 campaign with Eslapor in front of a roaring crowd.
In an all-Air Force men’s final, Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez won their third straight title this year following a 21-13, 21-14 conquest of Mike Abria and Jade Becaldo.
It was Barbon’s first BVR on Tour leg title since joining forces with Sisi Rondina in ruling the Manila Open last August. Barbon, a native of Quezon, Bukidnon, later won her first-ever UAAP championship with Rondina the following month.
In the semifinals, Barbon and Eslapor carved out a 21-16, 21-13 victory over University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos alums Erjane Magdato and Alexa Polidario, to arrange a title duel with Tan and Rodriguez, who ended Smash Bacolod’s Bianca Lizares and Jennifer Cosas’ four-match winning run with a 21-14, 21-13 win in the other pairing.
