Castilo, Alcala bag singles titles

Gelita Castilo bucked a late fightback by youngster Sarah Joy Barredo to clinch the women’s singles title even as Mark Shelly Alcala crushed R-Jay Ormilla for the men’s crown yesterday in the P1.5-million Bingo Bonanza National Open championships at Rizal Memorial Badminton Center.

Castilo of Allied Victor leaned on her vast experience in cutting down national player Barredo, 21-17, 14-21, 21-19, to nail her first title this year, worth P100,000.

Fifteen-year-old Alcala, also of Allied Victor, drubbed Smash Pilipinas’ Ormilla, 21-15, 21-11, for the men’s top plum, also worth P100,000. Ormilla and Barredo pocketed P60,000 each as runners-up.

Later in the day, Castilo and Malvinne Alcala routed Aires Montilla and Kristelle Salatan, 21-11, 21-10, to rule the women’s doubles.

The 20-year-old Castilo almost wasted a 20-13 advantage in the deciding set before pulling through against the 15-year-old Smash Pilipinas stalwart who is also the reigning Palarong Pambansa and Philippine National Games champion.

Barredo, daughter of an employee at the Manila badminton venue, threw the form charts out the windon by shocking Alcala, the country’s former No. 1, in the quarterfinals last Friday. But it was clearly Castilo’s time to shine yesterday as she successfully controlled the pace during the decisive moments of the title match, winning short rallies and scoring on drop shots.

Barredo led, 5-1, in the first set but Castilo came back furiously to prevail, 21-17. Castilo, a hotel and restaurant management freshman at Far Eastern University, slowed down in the second set to allow a resurgent Barredo to tie the match.

But Barredo fell into a rash of errors opening the third set to hand Castilo an 8-2 lead. She managed to tie it at 10-all but Castilo pulled away again at 16-10 and seemed to have the match wrapped up at 20-13.
A series of Castilo errors, however, allowed Barredo to move within a point before the eventual winner put the game away with a crosscourt return to the deep corner that Barredo couldn’t handle.

Earlier, Paul Vibas and Eleanor Christine Inlayo drubbed Peter Magnaye and Jessie Francisco, 21-13, 21-19, for the mixed doubles title, worth P120,000.