Top seed Chihiro Ikeda and fancied Rianne Malixi romped away with convincing victories to advance while No. 2 Harmie Constantino needed to toughen up in the stretch to squeak past Mafy Singson, 1-up, at the start of the ICTSI Villamor Match Play Invitational at the Villamor Golf Club yesterday.

Sunshine Baraquiel shone early by taking five of the first seven holes at the back and bundled out Eva Miñoza five holes later with a 7&6 rout, leading the assault of the top-ranked bets in the novel championship capping the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour season, which featured 11 legs at various championship courses in Luzon.

“I shot four birdies but made a double at the par-3 No. 17 and finished with seven pars,” said Baraquiel, seeking a follow-up to a career breakthrough at Highlands in wicked conditions last year.

She flourished off the mound and got good looks at the pins which she hopes to produce against second seed Harmie Constantino as action heats up in the head-to-head clashes leading to a crack at the championship worth P280,000.

“Same game plan – hit fairways so I can attack the pin,” said the seventh ranked lady pilot, also seeking to redeem herself from a string of mediocre finishes in the just-concluded season.

Ikeda, who gained the top seeding after winning her second LPGT Order of Merit title on victories at Mount Malarayat and Eagle Ridge-Aoki, imposed her will against Martina Miñoza and posted a 4&2 victory while Malixi, actually the most fancied in the 16-player roster, sized up Pamela Mariano in the first four holes at the back then went 2-up on No. 17.

The 15-year-old amateur star, who swept all her three stints in this year’s LPGT at Luisita, Valley and Riviera, then held sway at the front to carve out a 3&2 triumph for a quarterfinal face-off with Gretchen Villacencio, who repelled Kristine Fleetwood, 2&1.

Save for Malixi, who took the No. 13 ranking, all but one of the top seven players progressed with Constantino hacking out a tense-filled 1-up win over Singson, the other amateur in the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized championship, in a back-and-forth duel.

“It was more like a rally, it went back-and-forth,” said Constantino of her face-off with the Splendido Taal leg winner. “She (Mafy) led early on and we were all square after 9. Then we just kept on going back from 1-up or all square then I would go 1 up. It’s always a rally.”

Florence Bisera posted the lone reversal but not after three extra holes as the 14th ranked bet upended third seed and fellow Davaoena Sarah Ababa on the 21st to join Ikeda, Malixi, Constantino, Baraquiel, Gretchen Villacencio, Marvi Monsalve and Lovelynn Guioguio in the quarterfinals.

Villacencio held off Kristine Fleetwood, 2&1, Monsalve thwarted Lucy Landicho, 3&2, to seal a clash with Bisera, while Guioguio edged Apple Fudolin, 1-up, but will have her hands full against Ikeda in their duel for a spot in the semis.