
PLDT stages Set 3 comeback to complete sweep vs. new-look Farm Fresh
The High Speed Hitters were in danger of being dragged to a fourth set extension after the retooled Foxies built a 23-19 lead in the third set off back-to-back points from Trisha Tubu.
But PLDT reorganized following a tactical timeout with Kiesha Bedonia pulling off back-to-back aces to fuel a huge 5-0 rampage that saw the High Speed Hitters taking the match point at 24-23.
Alohi Robins-Hardy, though, came up with a block against Shiela Kiseo and a one-two play that allowed Farm Fresh and new Italian head coach Alessandro Lodi to secure their set point, 26-25.
Mika Reyes then answered with a running cross court attack while a Lorene Toring attack error sent PLDT to a 27-26 lead. Reyes and Kim Kianna Dy then put the roof on Caitlyn Viray on the left side to finish it off.
Bedonia closed out his clutch performance with a 14-point outing anchored on 10 attacks, two blocks, and two aces together with seven receptions as PLDT got off to a good start in the preseason showcase.
Reyes chipped in 10 points while Jovie Prado chipped in nine markers and 10 digs.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

GMA Network
2 hours ago
- GMA Network
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula ousted in first-round Wimbledon shockers
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2025 Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts during her first round match against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq Three of the top five seeds in the Wimbledon ladies' singles draw -- Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and China's Qinwen Zheng -- bowed out Tuesday in a stunning first round in London. Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto made a triumphant return to the Wimbledon stage by ousting No. 3 seed Pegula 6-2, 6-3 in just 58 minutes. Soon after, Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic outlasted the fifth-seeded Zheng 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. To cap the upset-laden day, Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska took down No. 2 seed and French Open champion Gauff, 7-6 (3), 6-1. "I love playing on grass," said Yastremska, who reached the final of last month's Nottingham Open on the surface. "I feel that this year we are kind of friends. I hope that the road will continue for me here." Gauff struggled throughout the night, finishing with a mere six winners and 29 unforced errors. Yastremska broke Gauff's serve four times in six chances and capitalized on Gauff's balky serve. Gauff double-faulted nine times, and when she was forced to her second serve, she won fewer than half the points (14 of 32). Cocciaretto, meanwhile, had to sit out the major in 2024 due to illness. She has played well on grass courts in the past year, reaching the semifinals last year at Birmingham and last month in 's-Hertogenbosch. "I was so pumped to play Wimbledon this year," Cocciaretto said in her on-court interview. "I couldn't wait until the match started, I was practicing so hard." Cocciaretto, 24, has won one title on the WTA Tour and has a 14-17 record and the No. 116 world ranking this season. By beating Pegula, she earned her second win over a top-10 opponent, previously defeating Petra Kvitova at the French Open in 2023. Pegula came into the match on a high note, having defeated Iga Swiatek of Poland last weekend to win the grass-court title in Bad Homburg. But Cocciaretto dictated the match and hit 17 winners compared to five for Pegula, who was broken on serve four times but scored only eight points on her opponent's serve. "She played absolutely incredible tennis," Pegula said. "Do I think I played the best match ever? No, but I definitely don't think I was playing bad. It wasn't like I was playing that bad. She just was hitting her shots and going for it, serving big, serving high percentage, going big second serves, redirecting the ball. "I do feel like she played kind of insane. Hats off to her. Kudos to her for playing at a high level that I couldn't match today." In the second round, Cocciaretto will face another American, Katie Volynets. She defeated Tatjana Maria of Germany 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1. Yastremska will face Russian qualifier Anastasia Zakharova, who defeated Belarus' Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. The plethora of top seeds falling could open a path for No. 7 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who beat Egypt's Mayar Sherif 6-3, 6-3, or the eighth-seeded Swiatek, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Russian Polina Kudermetova. No. 10 seed Emma Navarro defeated two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-1. It was Kvitova's final Wimbledon match, as she recently announced she will retire following the U.S. Open. "This place holds the best memories I could wish for," Kvitova said in an on-court interview. "I never dreamed of winning a Wimbledon and I won it twice. This is something very special. I will miss Wimbledon for sure," Xinyu Wang of China upset Czech 15th seed Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-2. And Canadian lucky loser Victoria Mboko -- in the field after Anastasia Potapova of Russia withdrew -- toppled Polish 25th seed Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-2. Other seeded players to advance Tuesday included No. 11 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 16 Daria Kasatkina of Australia, No. 17 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, No. 23 Clara Tauson of Denmark and No. 28 Sofia Kenin. Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia defeated No. 26 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in three sets. French qualifier Elsa Jacquemot did the same to No. 27 Magda Linette of Poland. Americans Caty McNally, Hailey Baptiste, Danielle Collins and Caroline Dolehide advanced to the next round. Also victorious were Russians Anna Kalinskaya and Veronika Kudermetova, Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu, Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey, Lucia Bronzetti of Italy, Maria Sakkari of Greece, Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine, Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. --Field Level Media/Reuters


GMA Network
15 hours ago
- GMA Network
PLDT stages Set 3 comeback to complete sweep vs. new-look Farm Fresh
PLDT erased a four-point deficit late in Set 3 to stun Farm Fresh in straight sets, 25-18, 25-21, 28-26, and kick off its campaign in the PVL On Tour on Tuesday on the right note. The High Speed Hitters were in danger of being dragged to a fourth set extension after the retooled Foxies built a 23-19 lead in the third set off back-to-back points from Trisha Tubu. But PLDT reorganized following a tactical timeout with Kiesha Bedonia pulling off back-to-back aces to fuel a huge 5-0 rampage that saw the High Speed Hitters taking the match point at 24-23. Alohi Robins-Hardy, though, came up with a block against Shiela Kiseo and a one-two play that allowed Farm Fresh and new Italian head coach Alessandro Lodi to secure their set point, 26-25. Mika Reyes then answered with a running cross court attack while a Lorene Toring attack error sent PLDT to a 27-26 lead. Reyes and Kim Kianna Dy then put the roof on Caitlyn Viray on the left side to finish it off. Bedonia closed out his clutch performance with a 14-point outing anchored on 10 attacks, two blocks, and two aces together with seven receptions as PLDT got off to a good start in the preseason showcase. Reyes chipped in 10 points while Jovie Prado chipped in nine markers and 10 digs. —JMB, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
15 hours ago
- GMA Network
PVL: Erika Santos dazzles as Cignal beats Creamline for the first time in three years
Erika Santos shone anew for the red-hot Cignal as the HD Spikers picked up their first win over Creamline after three years with a 25-22, 25-18, 28-26 victory in the PVL On Tour on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. The opposite hitter scattered 18 points anchored on 14 attacks, two blocks, and two aces to help Cignal preserve its unbeaten run with a 3-0 slate in Pool B while also dealing the Cool Smashers their first loss to go 2-1. Cignal had to overcome multiple deficits early in Set 3 with Sheena Toring bringing Creamline to a 16-14 lead off a quick hit. But Cignal went on a surge after Santos served up an ace to fuel a 4-0 run that allowed them to take an 18-16 cushion. Heather Guino-o then came up big at the right time, unleashing two kills in a 5-2 blast that saw the HD Spikers take a 23-18 advantage. Creamline, though, displayed its championship poise after Michele Gumabao soared for the cross court hammer before Santos committed back-to-back attack errors as the Cool Smashers forced a 24-all deadlock. It was Ishie Lalongisip who would finish it off after she connected on two consecutive attacks from the left side, the last of which she punished the floor defense of Alysa Valdez, to deliver the victory. Lalongisip posted 15 points laced with 10 receptions and seven digs while Roselyn Doria chipped in 10 markers to mark Cignal's first win against Creamline since the 2022 Reinforced Conference semifinals. —JMB, GMA Integrated News