Rondina, Pons Advance to Pingtung Open Championship Match

Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons moved one win away from the title after overcoming a grueling Saturday schedule to secure a place in the AVC Beach Tour Pingtung Open final.

Representing Alas Pilipinas, the pair outlasted Thailand’s Kongphopsarutawadee Worapeerachayakorn and Taravadee Naraphornrapat, 21-17, 26-24, in the semifinals to clinch their first-ever appearance in an AVC Beach Pro Tour championship match.

The victory marked another memorable triumph over the Thai tandem, whom Rondina and Pons also defeated on their way to capturing a historic Southeast Asian Games gold medal last December. Once again, the Filipinas delivered under pressure to earn a spot in the gold medal showdown.

Earlier in the day, Rondina and Pons survived a tense quarterfinal encounter against Australia’s Jasmine Fleming and Elizabeth Achin, prevailing 21-18, 33-31 in a marathon second set.

Their reward is a championship clash against Olympian Taliqua Clancy and partner Stefanie Fejes of Australia, with the title set to be decided on Sunday.

Rondina and Pons carried their strong form from the preliminary phase, where they swept past teams from Singapore, Australia, and host Chinese Taipei. They opened their campaign with a 21-16, 23-21 victory before following it up with a dominant 21-10, 21-16 win to advance comfortably to the knockout rounds.

Meanwhile, fellow Alas Pilipinas tandems Sunny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez, as well as Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara, were unable to progress after bowing out in the group stage.