JEDDAH: The 3rd JSBC Fuchs & Al Baik Badminton Challenge ended in dramatic fashion here with unheralded and unseeded Acsie Marangit pulling out a double victory at the posh Olympia Sports Club at Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital here.
Marangit emerged champion in two categories, men’s doubles C and D. Teaming up with the youthful Jay-R Padate in Category C, Marangit beat the equally talented duo of Bob Fernandez and Omar Montales of Smash Arabia 18-21, 21-19, 21-16.
Montales and Fernandez had chances to win but could not convert as they squandered their lead 18-15 in the first set and 16-12 in the second set.
In men’s Class D doubles, Marangit paired with longtime partner Faisal Ibrahim as they made mincemeat of Omar Gote and Ramon Manuel, again, of Smash Arabia. The only scare Marangit and Ibrahim had was in the second set when they allowed Gote and Manuel to equalize at 18-18 from an 18-11.
Montales avoided a shutout when he paired with his wife, Rica, to bag the Category C mixed doubles title against Jehan Upahn and Vic Obera of PBB.
In the first set, the husband and wife tandem played superbly as they exploited Upahn’s inability to counter the drop shots. As Upahn recovered, it was Obera’s turn to wilt under the pressure as his smashes continued to find the net. They fought valiantly but succumbed to 19-21, 16-21 straight sets setback.
Top seeds Rico Gonzales and Willy Manalang of Siemens underlined their billing as Jeddah’s finest as they rallied from a one set deficit to overcome Siemens teammates Indonesian Ruji Parto and Mitchie Cruz for a 19-21, 21-19, 21-19 score. In the first set, Parto and Cruz stormed to an early 11-7 lead, as Gonzales and Manalang struggled with their drop shots and overhead smashes and lapsed into uncharacteristic unforced errors from both wings. But after the first set timeout, the crowd sensed an obvious change in Gonzales and Manalang’s game plan as they started to play defensively and fed their surprised opponents with high lobs.
As Parto and Cruz smashed their way into the game with reckless abandon, they seemed to tire out as the game progressed even as they won the first set.
The second set was totally different as Gonzales totally dominated the match with his speed and court coverage. Together with the steady play of Manalang, they were in control of the match as they surged in the second and third sets as the visibly tired tandem of Parto and Cruz could only stare in awe.
Alhamrani Fuchs Petroleum Saudi Arabia Ltd.
And Al Baik Food Systems were the main sponsors of the event. Mobily, Nivea, The Filipino Channel, Sky Freight Forwarders, Sarawat International, Pepsi and SE Productions also supported the event.
The Jeddah Slashers Badminton Club organized the event under Chairman Frederic Guintu.
