SOLOMON PADIZ JR. and Julius Villabrille clinched the men’s doubles title at the 2023 APACS Kazakhstan Future Series on Saturday at the Center of Badminton in Shymkent.
The up-and-coming Smash Pilipinas duo defeated India’s Abhyuday Choudhary and Zhakuo Seyie, with a lopsided final score of 21-3, 21-8, in just 26 minutes.
This victory not only secured the championship but also awarded them the 1,700 Badminton World Federation (NWF) World Ranking points associated with the tournament.
The event is part of the BWF Future Series, which is the third grade of the third-level Continental Circuit. It provides World Ranking points for qualification into higher-level tournaments such as the World Championships and the Olympics.
Padiz and Villabrille, the top-seeded duo in the tournament, collected their second title for Smash Pilipinas this year.
Earlier in February, Alvin Morada and Christian Bernardo had opened the year with a victory at the 31st Fajr International Challenge.
The two National University student-athletes capped their domination the way they began the tournament—dominant wins against local favorites Artur Niyazov and Yevgeniy Yevseyev, 21-7, 21-10, as well as against Uzbekistan’s Amrullo Bakhshullaev and Artyom Savatyugin, 21-8, 21-11.
Jewel Angelo Albo, Mark Velasco and Lance Vargas also participated in the men’s singles event. The fourth-seeded Albo and Velasco reached the third round, while Vargas exited in the preceding round.
Mikaela De Guzman contributed to the Smash Pilipinas campaign by reaching the second round before concluding her participation in the women’s singles draw.