Alvin Morada and Christian Bernardo downed the South African tandem of Jarred Elliott and Robert Summer, 21-17, 21-13, in men’s doubles event of the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2023 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.
It was a rousing return to the world stage for the Philippines since its last appearance took place seven years ago in Jakarta with Ronel Estanislao and Joper Escueta, as well as Paul Vivas and Ariel Magnaye, participating.
The Filipino pair, currently ranked 46th in the world, broke free from a 12-all tie and managed to secure four consecutive points, establishing a 16-12 lead. This advantage proved pivotal as the two pairs exchanged points, ultimately concluding the opening set.
In the second set, Morada and Bernardo capitalized on an opening and exploited the defensive lapses of the reigning All-Africa Badminton champions, zooming to an impressive 11-3 lead during the second interval.
While Elliott and Summers attempted to keep the match engaging, the deficit proved insurmountable. Morada and Bernardo sealed the match after a 24-minute encounter.
Moving forward, the dynamic Smash Pilipinas duo is set to face South Koreans and ninth-seeds Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Sung Jae in the next round, after the latter received byes into the Round of 32.
Morada is poised to return to the action on Tuesday evening with the aim of replicating this victory in the mixed doubles category, this time partnering with Alyssa Leonardo.
