Ran Abdilla and Lerry Francisco gave their best at the Nuvali Sand Courts. However, the top-rated English duo, Joaquin and Javier Bello, were too strong. The Bello twins won 21-9, 21-16, dominating the start of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge.

The world No. 17 Bello brothers came off a victory in Rio de Janeiro. Known for their precision, they scored easily whenever they found an opening above the net. Despite this, Alas Pilipinas fought back, earning crucial points through Francisco’s blocks and Abdilla’s serves.

The Philippines led briefly in the second set at 7-6. However, the Bellos regained control quickly and maintained the lead. Abdilla and Francisco continued to fight hard, staying within reach until the final rally.

“It was a great experience keeping up with them,” Abdilla said. “They play so relaxed and never feel pressure.” Joaquin Bello acknowledged the challenge, praising the Filipino team’s efforts in the match.

In another tough match, Gen Eslapor and Kly Orillaneda lost to Lithuania’s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Ieva Vasiliauskaite. The duo struggled to find rhythm and lost 21-12, 21-8. This loss was part of a tough start for the Filipino teams.

James Buytrago and Rancel Varga, silver medalists at BPT Futures Nuvali, also faced defeat. They lost 8-21, 29-31 to Estonia’s Mart Tiisaar and Dimitriy Korotkov. Despite a strong second set, they couldn’t finish the match in their favor.

Abdilla and Francisco will try to bounce back against Austria’s Christoph Dressler and Tim Berger. Next, Eslapor and Orillaneda will face Niina Ahtiainen and Taru Lahti of Finland. Both Filipino pairs aim for redemption in their next matches.