The last Filipino standing ended on top.
Malvinne Ann Alcala stunned hometown bet Liang Xiaoyu, 21-15, 21-18, to bag the girls’ under-17 crown in the Singapore Youth International Badminton Championships 2010 in Singapore.
The 15-year-old Alcala held off the rallying Liang in the second set to wrap up the match in 37 minutes last Sunday at the Yio Chu Kang Sports Hall.
“It was tough but I really gave my best to win,” said Alcala. “This only proves that we can be at par with the best.”
Alcala reached the finals after downing Indonesia’s Febtria Adistra Ratoputri, 21-16, 21-19, in the semifinals, even as the other Filipino bets fell by the wayside.
“This win is also a big boost for Philippine badminton,” said Alcala, now tabbed as favorite in next week’s Ming Ramos-Victor National Open, Youth and Corporate Badminton Championships.
Joper Escueta settled for a bronze after bowing to Singapore’s Chao Huang, 21-17, 21-19, in the under-19 semifinals.
Escueta and Peter Magnaye also fell short in the boys’ semifinals, bowing to Indonesia’s Selvanus Geh and Haswir Sahab, 21-13, 20-22, 25-23.