The Philippine badminton tandem of Aries Balanag Delos Santos and Gerald Sibayan won the men's doubles 2021 Yonex Open NVBC held at the Northern Virginia Badminton Club from September 24-26 in Ashburn, Virginia.

Delos Santos and Sibayan defeated Indias Shlok Ramchandran, ranked 32nd by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), and his partner Victor Lai in the finals, 21-15, 12-21 and 21-17.

Delos Santos and Sibayan, the husband of comedienne Ai Ai delas Alas, admitted that they were nervous in the match.

“Before the game, we are a bit nervous and excited at the same time. Of course, we are up against BWF world rank 32 in men's doubles from India," said Delos Santos.

"First set, we tried to get the feeling of the game and manage to grab the first set. During the second set, we started slow and rest as we’re lacking endurance and preparation.

“We managed to pull the best strategy to end the game at the final set of the match. It feels good to be back,” he said.