Almazan-Ramos displays prowess

National junior team upstarts Enya Almazan and Roaquine Ramos kicked off their bid for the U18 mixed doubles title with a thrilling 15-12, 15-11 sweep of Elfranz Dahino and Roshie Quierez in the 2026 MIA Badminton Challenge Cup on Wednesday at the MIA Sports Center in Pasay City.

The small but determined contingent from the Smash Pilipinas juniors squad is using the tournament as preparation for next month’s World Junior Championships.

For first-time partners Almazan and Ramos, it was a good start as they advanced to the quarterfinals.

“This is really good preparation for the upcoming World Juniors because we get to play against UAAP players and other top competitors. It allows us to see the specific skills and shots we still need to refine,” said Almazan, who also advanced to the Round of 16 in the Women’s Doubles Open alongside Zoey Bayudang.

Bayudang and Almazan took down University of the Philippines’ Dianne Libaton and Shei dela Cruz on Tuesday, 15-6, 15-10.

Also in the U18 mixed doubles, Almazan and Ramos will take on Antonio Jose Marzo Bergonio and Liezel Fernandez, who escaped Josiah Linoy and Janhelo Palanca, 20-18, 10-15, 16-14, for a place in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, singles top seeds Wyle John Nellas and Akeila Saavedra, both of Whackers Badminton Development Center, took care of their respective foes to advance in this Philippine National Ranking System Super 500 tournament.

Nellas first swept National Academy of Sports’ Stephen Pedrabuena, 15-5, 15-4, in just 12 minutes in the Round of 32 before defeating Mega Smasher’s Marcus Chase Gaw, 15-6, 15-7, in the following round.

Saavedra, on the other hand, needed just 18 minutes to dispatch Jhoana Hernandez, 15-8, 15-7, and book her spot in the quarterfinals.

The other matches in all events of the U18 and U16 age groups were still ongoing as of press time.