By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippine women’s badminton team put on a gallant fight but its best was not enough, absorbing another 5-0 beating, this time to powerhouse Indonesia Wednesday in the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2020 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Still licking their wounds from a 5-0 demolition at the hands of Thais on Tuesday, the PH women’s shuttlers found the Indons too hot to handle.
Airah Mae Nicole Albo came close to scoring a historic feat when she beat Gregoria Tunjung in the first set, but the Indonesian rebounded mightily to complete a 19-21, 21-11, 21-9 win.
The Nationals then fell one after the other as Alyssa Leonardo and Thea Marie Pomar bowed to Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, 21-18, 21-12, and Bianca Carlos succumbed to Russell Hartawan, 21-10, 21-18.
Joella De Vera and Chanelle Lunod lost to Siti Fadia Ramadhanti and Ribka Sugiarto, 21-7, 21-8, before Sarah Joy Barredo absorbed a 21-19, 21-14 defeat to Putri Kusuma Wardani in 43 minutes.
On Tuesday afternoon, Philippines yielded to Chinese Taipei in men’s division.
PH’s top singles player Ros Pedrosa succumbed to world No. 2 Chou Tien Chen in 29 minutes, 21-12, 21-8, in the opening singles before Ariel Magnaye and Alvin Morada were waylaid by Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, 21-9, 21-12, in the first doubles.
The Taiwanese continued their rampage in Group C with Wang Tzu Wei dumping Lanz Zafra, 21-15, 21-17, to secure the win that saw the remaining doubles and singles matches non-bearing.
Philip Joper Escueta and Paul John Pantig tried to salvage some pride for the PH shuttlers, only to lose steam over Liao Min Chun and Su Ching Heng, 21-9, 18-21, 21-17.
Arthur Salvador was also beaten black and blue by Chen Shiau Cheng, 21-7, 21-9.
