BEA Tan and Dij Rodriguez cruised to a 21-7, 21-15 win over Malaysia’s Tan Hsi Yan and Tasha Mae, giving the Philippines two teams in the Round of 12 in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Boracay Open presented by Globe in Boracay.
Leaving behind a heartbreaking 17-21, 21-13, 16-14 loss to Singapore’s Eliza Chong and Lau Ee Shan in last Friday’s opener, Tan and Rodriguez were in the zone on both ends of the sand court to send the Malaysians packing while keeping the three-time Beach Volleyball Republic On Tour champions in the competition.
But the fancied Filipina pair of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons failed to gain an outright passage to the quarterfinals after losing to Japan’s Satono Ishitsubo and Asami Shiba, 21-16, 21-19.
Inspired by the early morning crowd that packed the venue, Rondina and Pons went toe to toe with world No. 86 Ishitsubo and Shiba in both sets, but the Japanese were simply too classy to remain undefeated in two matches.
Rondina and Pons opened their campaign with a 21-14, 21-8 conference of Japan’s Shinako Tanaka and Miyuki Matsumura.
Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño bowed out of contention, but not without putting up a valiant stand against Russia’s Ekaterina Filina and Ekaterina Zazhigina, 21-14, 19-21, 15-13. (PR)