National team standouts Jelo Albo and Mika de Guzman took a step closer to their respective bids for the men’s and women’s singles titles of the 2024 Philippine Badminton Open (PBO) following their semifinal wins yesterday at the First Pacific Leadership Academy in Antipolo City.

Albo, the 20-year-old hometown bet, fended off the challenge of top seed RJ Oba-ob of the Philippine Air Force in 39 minutes of intense rallies, 21-12, 21-10, to move into the final of the men’s singles in this Philippine Super 500 tournament.

“I didn’t set a goal for myself. I think everyone wants to be a champion but for me, I just want to show my best and perform well,” said the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Rookie of the Year from University of the Philippines.

Albo knew the capabilities of Oba-ob, a former national team member, and understood he had to seize his opportunities to score when they arose.

“My focus for the semifinals is how to get the ball to his side. Because if the game gets longer, I’ll be the one who will have a hard time because Kuya Ob is strong and has great endurance despite him being my senior,” said the incoming third-year Fighting Maroon.

Albo will compete for the title against the tournament’s biggest surprise so far, Clarence Villaflor of Cadiz-JBA/Apacs, who dominated Arthur Salvador Jr. of Ateneo de Manila University, 21-13, 21-16, in the other semifinal clash.

De Guzman, on her part, continued her impressive run towards defending her title in the women’s singles in this competition as she secured a 21-10, 21-13 victory over National University’s Karylle Rio in just half an hour.

Despite the scoreline, the 2023 APACS Kazakhstan International Series champion praised her fellow UAAP standout Rio’s game, saying, “She did great. I know she is one of the top players at NU (National University), and at the same time, I’m also happy with my performance. Knowing that they are top players from top schools, I need to show my 100 percent.”

With another Lady Bulldog, Ysabel Amora, who won 21-15, 21-12 over Anielka Maeve Paz, standing in her way to the championship, De Guzman knew what she needed to do in the final.