SHE DID IT.

Antipolo City’s pride in badminton, national player Lea Inlayo, teamed up with Airah Nicole Albo to rule the Women’s Doubles event of the 2023 Philippine Badminton Open February 26, Sunday at the Dragonsmash Badminton Center in Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.

Inlayo and Albo virtually came back from the dead to post the scrambling come-from-behind victory: 13-21, 24-22, 21-17 over Alyssa Ysabel Leonardo and Thea Marie Pomar.

The winning pair got off to a shaky start yielding a quick 13-21 game in the first set.

The turning point came in the second set when both Inlayo and Albo dove to the floor to salvage a point. The pair, both on the floor, yielded the point which tied the score at 15-all.

But that sequence showed their grim determination and they never looked back from there as they outsteadied Pomar and Leonardo to post a hairline 24-22 victory in the second set and cruise to a decisive 21-17 victory in the third to claim the crown.

Inlayo – who lives in Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City – is a national player in badminton. She again brought honor and pride to Antipolo as she added to her many accomplishments in the sport.

Later in the afternoon Inlayo teamed up with Jonathan Padiz Jr. to book second place in the Mixed Doubles bowing to Albo and July Abrille, 21-13, 22-24 and 18 to 21 in the championship match.

The tournament is part of the Philippine national team’s (Smash Pilipinas) build-up to the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and will likewise serve as basis for the official ranking of national badminton players.

The competition is a Super 500 tournament and will have a total of ₱1,000,000 pot with ₱150,000 will go to the champions of the doubles events.