MANILA, Philippines — Nesthy Petecio will be going home with either a silver or gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
This after Petecio outworked her Italian foe Irma Testa via split decision in the women's featherweight semifinals set in the Kokugikan Arena on Saturday.
TRACKER: Team Philippines at the Tokyo Olympics
Petecio had to buck a slow start where Testa — who used her reach advantage to full extent — took the nod of all five judges, 10-9, in the opening round.
But a more aggressive offense by Petecio proved to be effective against the taller and longer Testa in the second and third rounds.
With scorecards tied at 19-all going into the third and final round, Petecio did just enough in the third to seal the win.
She thus sets up a clash with the winner between Great Britain and Japan.
The gold medal match is set on Tuesday, August 3.