JOCHELLE Alvarez and Clarence Villaflor moved one win away from breakthrough singles titles after booking their spots in the women's and men's singles finals of the Philippine National Badminton Open 2026 on Saturday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
Alvarez, the UAAP Season 86 co-MVP, outlasted University of the Philippines incoming sophomore and reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year Brys Fuggan, 21-17, 17-21, 21-10, to reach the singles final for the first time.
The incoming Ateneo senior came out strong in the opening game before Fuggan responded in the second to even the match.
Alvarez, however, returned to the form that helped her win the opener, dominating the deciding game to clinch a breakthrough finals berth in the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, Cignal, Yonex, Sunrise, Maynilad, and MWell.
"Siyempre, sobrang happy po ako na nanalo ako, pero sobrang kabado rin. Hindi ko po talaga ine-expect, pero inisip ko lang, one game at a time, and hindi ko muna iisipin 'yung results," said the Blue Eagles standout.
In the men's division, Villaflor advanced to his third consecutive final after defeating longtime national team stalwart Ros Pedrosa, 21-15, 22-20, in a gripping 47-minute semifinal.
Fresh off securing qualification for the BWF World Championships, Villaflor controlled the opening game before weathering Pedrosa's late charge in the second.
Standing in the way of Alvarez and Villaflor are defending champions Mika De Guzman and Jelo Albo, both seeking to extend their dominance in the tournament.
De Guzman, chasing a record fourth straight women's singles title, displayed her composure and experience in dispatching juniors national team standout Eve Bejasa, 21-10, 21-17, in just 35 minutes.
Albo, meanwhile, stayed on course for a third consecutive men's singles championship after bouncing back from a first-game loss to defeat fellow Smash Pilipinas standout JR Pandi, 16-21, 21-11, 21-9, in a match that lasted more than an hour.
The men's and women's singles finals headline Sunday's action, which begins at 10 a.m.
PNBO doubles
Meanwhile, Lea Inlayo and Julius Villabrille remained on track to defend their respective doubles titles.
Inlayo, a former UP standout and current Smash Pilipinas veteran, will chase a third women's doubles championship, this time alongside Jeya Pinlac. The national team pair recovered from a first-game loss to overcome UP's Krissa and Patricia De Leon, 8-21, 21-4, 21-17, in the semifinals.
Villabrille, meanwhile, will also defend his men's doubles title partnering with Solomon Padiz Jr. The duo cruised past UP's Arjay Lazareto and Ryan Mendoza, 21-12, 21-10, to advance to the championship match.
Padiz and Villabrille will face Smash Pilipinas teammates Christian Bernardo and Alvin Morada, who dominated La Salle's Rey Nier Dalimo-os and AJ Lorenz Jurada, 21-9, 21-10.
In the women's doubles final, Inlayo and Pinlac will take on Andrea Hernandez and Mary Destiny Untal, who defeated UP's Susmita Ramos and Dianne Libaton, 21-11, 23-21.
Villabrille also kept his bid for a second title alive after teaming up with Hernandez to rally past Morada and Pinlac, 15-21, 21-17, 21-9, in the mixed doubles semifinals. They will face Inlayo and Bernardo, who upset top seeds Padiz and Untal, 21-16, 21-14, for the mixed doubles championship.
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