Alas Pilipinas has two pairs in the Asian Games women’s beach volleyball quarterfinals.
Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons, along with Sofiah Pagara and Khy Progella, both won their matches on Monday, Sept. 28, at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Aichi, Japan, Spin.ph and Tiebreaker Times reported.
The quarterfinals begin on Wednesday.
Rondina-Pons Sweep Japan Veterans
Rondina and Pons beat Japan’s Sakura Ito and Mayu Sawame in straight sets, 21-17, 21-15, Spin.ph reported.
Next up is Kazakhstan’s Merey Kozhakhmet and Laura Kabulbekova, with a semifinal spot on the line.
Pagara-Progella Stay Unbeaten
Pagara and Progella got past Hong Kong’s Wong Man Ching and Ngok Ling Tsang, 26-24, 21-18, and remain unbeaten in the tournament, according to Spin.ph.
Tiebreaker Times reported that they were the first Filipino pair to book a quarterfinal spot.
They will face Japan’s sister tandem, Non Matsumoto and Ren Matsumoto, in the quarterfinals, Spin.ph reported.
An All-Filipino Semifinal?
Spin.ph reported that the two Philippine pairs could meet in the semifinals if both win their quarterfinal matches.
That would mean only one of them could reach the gold-medal match.
P100,000 on the Line
There’s extra motivation too.
PNVF president Frank Lao has pledged a P100,000 gold-medal incentive for the Alas women’s beach volleyball teams, Inquirer reported, citing a PNVF post through the Philippine Olympic Committee.
On the men’s side, James Buytrago and Ronniel Rosales were eliminated after losing 21-11, 21-13 to Indonesia’s Sofyan Rachman Efendi and Bintang Akbar on Sunday.
They finished 1-2 in Pool C, Tiebreaker Times reported.
