San Jacinto’s Villabrille triumphs in Malaysia Badminton tilt
Villabrille triumphs in Malaysia Badminton tilt (Contributed)
JULIUS Villabrille of San Jacinto town, alongside Solomon Padiz Jr. of Manila, brought honor to the country after winning the championship title in the Men’s Badminton Doubles during the Petronas Malaysia International Challenge that ended last September 22 in Ipoh, Malaysia.
In the title match, Villabrille and Padiz Jr. staged a come-from-behind victory to upset Tze Jian and Wong Tien Ci of host Malaysia in a three-set thriller, 14-21, 23-21, 21-16.
The Team Smash Pilipinas duo swiftly defeated the Japanese pair of Naoya Kawashima and Kota Ogawa in the semifinal round to secure a spot in the final round, 23-21, 21-9.
Joined by 44 pairs of shuttlers across Asia, the annual fixture aims to create a big pool of world-class players, implement development programs from grassroots to international level, and ensuring players’ consistent success in the international arena.
The 23-year-old Villabrille, who hails from Barangay Capaoay, San Jacinto, collected his second historic international title after earning the APACS Badminton crown in Kazakhstan last June 2023.
The top-seeded duo in the tournament took home the grand prize of US$2,000, second placer Team Malaysia bagged US$1,200, while Team Japan earned US$500.
The two National University student-athletes will continue honing their badminton mastery under Philippine Badminton Team head coach Peter Magnaye. (Kim Gealogo)
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