MALAYSIAN coach Rozman Razak’s worst nightmares for the Philippine badminton team became a reality yesterday as the Smart Asian Badminton Championships got going at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Tunasan, Muntinlupa.
Bogged down by the lack of international action for over two years, the Pinoy bets kept dropping out one by one like flies in the men’s and women’s singles qualifying rounds inside the hot and humid arena.
This was best typified by Ros Leonard Pedrosa and Janelle Anne Andres, considered the best hometown performers who could only split their two matches in their respective groups in the tourney organized by the Philippine Badminton Association.
The MVP Cup champion last February, Pedrosa prevailed over Bahrain’s Adnan Ebrahim 21-14, 21-14 but fell 14-21, 8-21 to Kazakh No. 1 Dmitriy Panarin 14-21, 8-21, who went on to sweep his matches in Group C and advance to main draw of the meet supported by the Muntinlupa city government led by Mayor Jaime Fresnedi.
