love to see my country being involved in badminton thats gettin a lil recognition

woohoooo



whos going? (no1) lol

I watched the last Philippine open. The crowd was quite big particularly during the semis and the finals. I was just disappointed because the star players were not present.
The Manny Pangilinan cup was much much better. Most of the badminton superstars were there. It was the 2nd year for that cup and is better known as Asia vs. Europe. I don't know the exact dates for 2007. It's an event worth watching since all the big players from Asian countries will be competing with European superstars. 2005 Asia won, 2006 it was Europe. 2007 will be the deciding match.;)

Unfortunately this year there will be no MVP Cup. but i do guess the players for the 07 Phil Open would be the same like last year. Most of the top players probably will be skipping PO due to preparation for the World Championship in Kuala Lumpur. However i think we can still see some other stars as well during the 07 PO.

Personally i think the PO is much better than MVP cup. MVP Cup is more of an entertainment and exhibiton game. However its good to showcase the world top players.

Are you sure there will be no MVP cup this year?
I just hope there will be more top players competing at the Phil. Open. I agree with you that the MVP is not really a tournament but more of an entertainment for badmintion fans. You will see how they play without much pressure. :)

This year No MVP Cup.

Thanks a lot Ants.
I hope Mr. Pangilinan changes his mind.:)

Hello~

I was able to watch last year's PO (Semi-finals) and MVP Cup 2 (Day 1). I just wish that the popular players (LD, XXF, ZN etc) would be in this year's PO; last year's PO lacked luster compared to MVP Cup. ^_^

Unfortunately, there will be no MVP Cup this year according to our friend Ants from Malaysia. I checked the World Badminton Organization calendar and I guess Ants is right.
On the upside, maybe the Philippine Cup will be much bigger because of that. Hopefully, the big players will find it worth their precious time.:D

On the upside, maybe the Philippine Cup will be much bigger because of that. Hopefully, the big players will find it worth their precious time.:D

Yeah, hopefully they'd drop by in this year's PO. Plus, the tickets at MVP Cup were expensive compared to those of PO. Araneta kasi. ^_^

I am hoping we can showcase a world-class badminton tournament! Mabuhay!

This year No MVP Cup.

This is bad. It is only during MVP Cup do I get to see Lin Dan and Zhang Ning play here. :crying: I wish they'd play on PO...

Don't feel bad, I think the badminton superstars might be coming to the Philippine Open. This year will be bigger. It has a new name. It's Philippine Gold Grand Prix 2007 scheduled on July 17 to 22, 2007. The prize money is US $ 120,000.00. I hope this would attract the badminton superstars. Wish they keep the ticket prices reasonable. :)

Personally i think not Many Stars like LinDan, Taufik and others will be playing in PO since it is approaching the World Championship and most of them will be playing in the CHINA Super Series which offer Bigger Prize Money. And the dates is too near as well as the China Super Series end on 15th of July and PO starts on the 17th of JULY. Its too rush for them. However we can still see the younger rising stars of the game in PO. Anyway its in July , still many months to go. Its really up to the coaches weather want to send their top players to PO.

The dates of the various Gold Grand Prixs are too close to each other. If the basis will be the prize money, what will happen to the Thailand open and the Philippine open considering that the China event will be in the middle?
Thailand open will be July 3 to 8, China's big event will start on the 10th of July, ends on the 15th. Philippine open starts on July 17.
China's prize money is US $ 250K, Both Thailand and Philippine open have prize money of only US $ 120K each.
Let's just hope all the star players will have the enegy to play in all the events to make their fans happy.:D

This year will be bigger. It has a new name. It's Philippine Gold Grand Prix 2007 scheduled on July 17 to 22, 2007.

Whoa, for real? cool! This is definitely a must-see event for baddicts here in Manila... ^_^

Would this be enticing enough for LD and other top players to play here? Hopefully. ~~

After the China open, the superstar players must be tired. Let's just hope they will find the Philippine open attractive enough. May be the prize money is not that big but the badminton crowd here in the Philippines knows how to show how much they appreciate the game.
By the way, we play badminton almost everyday. Hope to play with you one day. Ciao! :)

...the badminton crowd here in the Philippines knows how to show how much they appreciate the game. :)

haha, i was cheering Kennie and Kennevic all the way at last year's semifinals of the PO... it definitely brings back memories. ^_^

I notice that the badminton fans in the ASEAN nations that are not yet dominant in badminton such as Singapore, Vietnam, Philippine really appreciated good games... any good games... any good effort by the players. In Malaysia and Indonesia, even if our player give his/her best efforts yet losing... there are bound to be LOTS and LOTS of critics. Ha ha ha... a lot more sarcasm in the ASEAN so called badminton giants.

I understand that the decades of success resulted in very high expectations... Indonesians always compare the MS players to Rudy Hartono, Liem Swie King, Alan Budikusuma, Harianto Arbi, Taufik Hidayat... Malaysians would compare their MS with Eddy Choong, Misbun Sidek, Lee Chong Wei, etc. It is hard to be compared to those legends... merely good efforts are never enough...

I notice that the badminton fans in the ASEAN nations that are not yet dominant in badminton such as Singapore, Vietnam, Philippine really appreciated good games... any good games... any good effort by the players. In Malaysia and Indonesia, even if our player give his/her best efforts yet losing... there are bound to be LOTS and LOTS of critics. Ha ha ha... a lot more sarcasm in the ASEAN so called badminton giants.

I understand that the decades of success resulted in very high expectations... Indonesians always compare the MS players to Rudy Hartono, Liem Swie King, Alan Budikusuma, Harianto Arbi, Taufik Hidayat... Malaysians would compare their MS with Eddy Choong, Misbun Sidek, Lee Chong Wei, etc. It is hard to be compared to those legends... merely good efforts are never enough...

That was a very keen observation you made. In the Philippines, we always appreciate the efforts given by our players. Win or lose, we are proud of them and would standby them. Nobody wants to lose, there are times your game is simply "off" and you cannot do anything about that. No amount of training and preparation would be able to counter that.
Sometimes even the best runner stumbbles....:crying:

True also. But then i realised the crowd that watch badminton in the Phils are Really up for it when their local heroes is play. But when there is no Pinoy players, the stadium is queit.

I hope the Philippines badminton enthusiasm translate into... organizing another BWF tournament... Philippine Chalenge! Or... Philippine Series!

I hope the Philippines badminton enthusiasm translate into... organizing another BWF tournament... Philippine Chalenge! Or... Philippine Series!
..we probably can predict what's gonna happen in BC when another Challenge tourney comes up and a bunch of M'sian and Indonesian players show up to play..Philippine Challenge??:confused: Sure, bring it on..hehe:D:p;):cool:

is Andre Kurniawan going to compete in this one?? I hope so...I want him to win another events like this one

The Event will be backed by VICTOR. Yonex has pulled out from the Sponsorship due to some problems with PBA (Philippines Badminton Association).

is Andre Kurniawan going to compete in this one?? I hope so...I want him to win another events like this one

Should be logical that Andre Kurniawan Tedjono plays... It is close to Indonesia and within his current ability to win or at least compete well... ;) Probably will meet Roslin AGAIN... :p Because it is also logical for Roslin to play there...

The Event will be backed by VICTOR. Yonex has pulled out from the Sponsorship due to some problems with PBA (Philippines Badminton Association).

Wow!!! You really know a lot Ants! Bad news indeed for Pinoy badminton fans. :( So sad, I wonder why Yonex backoff. Would you mind if you could share to us the real reason why they did this?

Unfortunately this year there will be no MVP Cup. but i do guess the players for the 07 Phil Open would be the same like last year. Most of the top players probably will be skipping PO due to preparation for the World Championship in Kuala Lumpur. However i think we can still see some other stars as well during the 07 PO.

Personally i think the PO is much better than MVP cup. MVP Cup is more of an entertainment and exhibiton game. However its good to showcase the world top players.

Dear Ants,

Sometime in February 2007, you said the above message. I checked the IBF calendar and there will be MVP cup scheduled on August 2007. I'm really glad of this recent change. This is one of the few times the Philippine badminton fans get to see top international players.

Lee Chong Wei might be going to play in this tournament.

CH, XU Huaiwen , yang wei/zhao tingting...........

Pi Hong Yan, Yao Jie, Petya

It is stated in the Philippines Open Website that Taufik Hidayat had signed up

And so is Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan.

I cant wait to watch them.

Might buy the tickets later:D

Lee Chong Wei might be going to play in this tournament.

Oh wow! This is the best news I've heard about the PO. I can't wait to see his deceptive cross court smash and tight net play LIVE. LCW is definitely my favorite to win the PO.

His girlfriend Wong Mew Choo will be also be featured in PO. However it depends on how fast she will recover from her ankle injury that she got from Sudirman Cup.

KKK/TBH may also be playing in the Philippine Open as they have pulled out from Thailand Open.

It is stated in the Philippines Open Website that Taufik Hidayat had signed up

And so is Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan.

I cant wait to watch them.

Might buy the tickets later:D
After China SS...Simon Santoso and Maria kristin may play also...( not confirm yet) but Polii/Jo Novita will play.....

KKK/TBH will be playing at Phillipine Open as rexy wanted to measure their progress toward to WC preparations...seems more stars participate in this tournament than Thai Open.

I cant wait to watch them.

Might buy the tickets later:D

so, who's going to PO? I think I might... ^_^

KKK/TBH will be playing at Phillipine Open as rexy wanted to measure their progress toward to WC preparations...seems more stars participate in this tournament than Thai Open.

Then this PO will be worth watching! Unlike last year's edition. Too many Satellite-class players participating in the 2006 PO... :p

In website: it mentions that :

INA: 44 players
MAS: 38 players
India: 17 players
Korea: 18 players
Thai: 16 players
China: 14 players
Taipei: 15 players
Japan: 14 players
Russia: 14 players

Seems that many of INA from China SS will participate in this touney plus club players...MAS sends about 60 players for Thai open..

So far:

MS:
Chen Hong
Bao chun Lai
Taufik Hidayat
Lee chong Wei
Andrew smith
Sato
Lee hyun Il
Ng Wei
john Moody

So far:

MS:
Chen Hong
Bao chun Lai
Taufik Hidayat
Lee chong Wei
Andrew smith
Sato
Lee hyun Il
Ng Wei
john Moody

Sony
Hashim

WS:
Yip Pui Yin
Xu Hai wen
Pi Hong Yen
Eriko Hirose
Saina Nehwal

Wondering why Wang Chen is not playing....

Sony
Hashim

WS:
Yip Pui Yin
Xu Hai wen
Pi Hong Yen
Eriko Hirose
Saina Nehwal

Wondering why Wang Chen is not playing....

now i'm already thinking of skipping my classes to atleast watch the quarterfinals..:D:p

now i'm already thinking of skipping my classes to atleast watch the quarterfinals..:D:p

Do skip... great badminton is worth it... ;)

BWF Grand Prix
Philippine Open Badminton Championship
21 July 1330 Semi Finals
22 July 1330 Finals

now i'm already thinking of skipping my classes to atleast watch the quarterfinals..:D:p

Hi, I'm happy to hear from someone from the Philippines. I'm a badminton fan and I've been to different countries to watch the games of the super series. I just feel sad that we have few entries if not totally NIL. I went to Glasgow for the Sudirman Cup and I've always been asked why the Philippines has not joined. Badminton fanatics seem to know that the Philippines has the most number of badminton courts in the world. They are quite surprise how come we still have not produced good players. I don't know how to answer these type of questions. Apparently, we need more international exposure to be able to make a name for our country in the field of badminton. Let's watch the Philippine open and I'm sure mere watching international players play can make us improve our game. Do you play badminton ?

Hi, ... Badminton fanatics seem to know that the Philippines has the most number of badminton courts in the world. They are quite surprise how come we still have not produced good players.

In addition to exposure, you need a good grassroots structure to nuture players from a young age. Good coaches are a must. International events such as the PO will go a long way towards generating interest; it's a great way to open the eyes of the young 'uns.:). And it sounds like the quality of player turnout is going to be pretty good.

yay! i think kien keat and boon heong will also join phil open!^_^

now i'm already thinking of skipping my classes to atleast watch the quarterfinals..:D:p

I'll skip my class too! ^_^ haha!

uhm.. same here.. haha last year we never missed a single day! :)

uhm.. same here.. haha last year we never missed a single day! :)
See you guys!:)

my friends would be so busy on the quarterfinals, I might as well go alone. =c anyone going to the quarterfinals too?

So sad, I wonder why Yonex backoff. Would you mind if you could share to us the real reason why they did this?

The PBA has not been fulfilling their end of the contract, especially since the last Philippine Open. Yonex-Sunrise has been requesting the PBA to live up to their obligation but however, signed a contract with sponsorship contract with Victor even with an existing contract with Yonex-Sunrise

my friends would be so busy on the quarterfinals, I might as well go alone. =c anyone going to the quarterfinals too?

My friends and I will be there starting day 2 up to the finals. Hope to see you there. :)

Hi, I'm happy to hear from someone from the Philippines. I'm a badminton fan and I've been to different countries to watch the games of the super series. I just feel sad that we have few entries if not totally NIL. I went to Glasgow for the Sudirman Cup and I've always been asked why the Philippines has not joined. Badminton fanatics seem to know that the Philippines has the most number of badminton courts in the world. They are quite surprise how come we still have not produced good players. I don't know how to answer these type of questions. Apparently, we need more international exposure to be able to make a name for our country in the field of badminton. Let's watch the Philippine open and I'm sure mere watching international players play can make us improve our game. Do you play badminton ?

yes i play badminton... i actually stopped for almost 2-3 years..
but now i'm back.. i'm itching to play the game..:D i started playing badminton again last year... :o

yes i play badminton... i actually stopped for almost 2-3 years..
but now i'm back.. i'm itching to play the game..:D i started playing badminton again last year... :o

Welcome back!!!:)

Warning: Badminton is addictive:D

PBA (Philippine Badminton Association)have an existing contract with Yonex Sunrise starting December 2005 until December 2011. When they signed with Victor this year for the Philippines Open.. that means breach of contract.

Welcome back!!!:)

Warning: Badminton is addictive:D

i know... that's why i did everything to recover so i can play all the sports that i've been playing before... life is very boring without sports..:p

PBA (Philippine Badminton Association)have an existing contract with Yonex Sunrise starting December 2005 until December 2011. When they signed with Victor this year for the Philippines Open.. that means breach of contract.

i don't know why filipinos have this bad habit of breaking rules or treaties..:mad:

Well there are some good looking female players in Manila. But then.. not good enuff yet to give challenge to top players.

My friends and I will be there starting day 2 up to the finals. Hope to see you there. :)

cool! i'll be wearing Beijing 2008 shirt... see you there!

加油!

Welcome back!!!:)

Warning: Badminton is addictive:D
i second tat... :D :D :D :D :D

i'll be wearing anything... white or red i gues.. :D

the web say women singles is the 8 people from top 15,let say:
1)wang chen
2)xu huai wen
3)pi hong yan
4)yao jie
5)wong mew choo
6)hirose eriko
7)yip pui yin
8)ramussen tine

Cheers for the Pinoy Baddicts! More power!

So, KKK/TBH is confirmed to play in PO 2007.....good to hear that....as a late entry....hope they play good badminton...o prepare for WC2007...best wishes to them....

Yes late Entry. However the coach can still pull them out from participation last minute. But at the moment they are 90% confirm.

PBA (Philippine Badminton Association)have an existing contract with Yonex Sunrise starting December 2005 until December 2011. When they signed with Victor this year for the Philippines Open.. that means breach of contract.Unless Yonex gave them permission to have Victor or Victor reimbursed Yonex.

Maybe Yonex only interested in the SS tourneys at the moment and were prepared to be flexible

Unless Yonex gave them permission to have Victor or Victor reimbursed Yonex.

Maybe Yonex only interested in the SS tourneys at the moment and were prepared to be flexible

Nope. YONEX didnt give any Permission for them to have VICTOR. In fact YONEX will sue PBA unless if they come out with some agreement or settlement.

Yonex have a deal to pay for the Phillipine Open?

Nope. YONEX didnt give any Permission for them to have VICTOR. In fact YONEX will sue PBA unless if they come out with some agreement or settlement.
Hmm, then somebody in PBA is being quite naughty. Wonder what the logic was..?:D

Hmm, then somebody in PBA is being quite naughty. Wonder what the logic was..?:D

if taufik is mad with PBSI's politics.. and so are we filipinos (with the politics here)... why the heck are they trying to hinder a budding sport here in the philippines such as badminton?!

Yonex have a deal to pay for the Phillipine Open?

Yonex is a sponsor.

if taufik is mad with PBSI's politics.. and so are we filipinos (with the politics here)... why the heck are they trying to hinder a budding sport here in the philippines such as badminton?!

I agree on how politics negatively affect the sport of badminton in the Philippines. Before a national team member will train abroad, he/she needs to have "private" sponsors. No or very minimal government support at all.

I heard BAM [Malaysia] has a lot of politics... but they are a well-funded institution...

Not only BAM.. other BA's also have alot of politics.

uhm.. excuse me mr. ants, sori if its out of topic.. but i'm wondering.. have you been to valencia badminton court before?? because i think i saw you there.. ( recognize ur face because of ur pic here in forum) :)..

I think it was also Ants that I saw last April 2... have you been to Wai Ying, a Chinese restaurant in Manila?

These girls will appear at the Philippine Open... :D

Djarum's 1st singles, Maria Kristin...
http://www.pbdjarum.com/upload/pic5f995506.jpg

Djarum's 2nd WS... Maria Elfira...

http://www.pbdjarum.com/upload/pic2f58a598494.jpg

Djarum's 3rd singles... Rosaria Pungkasari... :)

http://www.pbdjarum.com/upload/pic48dff66a.jpg

I'm not sure with i have heard but my friend told me that Melvin Llanes the former No.1 in the philippines is playing in the philippine open?

I'm not sure with i have heard but my friend told me that Melvin Llanes the former No.1 in the philippines is playing in the philippine open?

Yes, Melvin will be playing in the upcoming PO. I'm just not sure what event/s he will be playing in.

Here is a list of the Filipino players participating in this year's PO:

Owen Lopez
Bryan Chan
John Robert Ner
Roden Rivera
Jaime Llanes
Melvin Llanes
Arolas Amahit Jr.
Lloyd Escoses
Reczon Salvaleon
Jimson Dionisio
Ian Piencenaves
Jamie Junio
Ronel Estanislao
Paul Jefferson Vivas
Wilson Frias
Alfredo Mailon
Kennevic Asuncion
Frederick Go
Antonio Benjamin Gadi
Jobert Hereli Co
Kelvin Ang
Andrei Babad
Raquel Guerrero
Rachel Guerrero
Kennie Asuncion
Irene Chiu
Therine Thristie Chan
Cheska Bermejo
Ricky Bartolome
Christopher Flores
Wally Fernandez
Ian Mendez
Kelvin Ang
Kevin Panganiban
Mark Alvin Natividad
Karyn Velez

I forgot to say sorry hell be playing i think in Mens Singles

I forgot to say sorry hell be playing i think in Mens Singles

If you want to find out go to www.internationalbadminton.org/draws.asp (http://www.internationalbadminton.org/draws.asp)
Hopefully this time deserving Philippine players will shine:)

I forgot to say sorry hell be playing i think in Mens Singles

Melvin will be playing in both Men's Singles & Men's Doubles (with his brother Jaime).

But he will have to go through the Qualifying Rounds first before he can make the Main Draw.

Hope some players from Phils can advance at least one round.

i heard that after the PO, some players would be visiting some badminton clubs..is this true? metrosports in cebu?:confused:

i heard that after the PO, some players would be visiting some badminton clubs..is this true? metrosports in cebu?:confused:

Where did you hear that news? Most of the top players have been tired from the Thailand Open this week, the China Super Series next week and then the Philippine Open the week after next. Maybe they will just use some courts for practise. Who knows?

Hope some players from Phils can advance at least one round.

Let's keep are fingers crossed. Miracles do happen. Afterall, all the top players started somewhere.:) Let's hope for the best. By the way Ants, are you going to Chengdu for the China Open?:confused:

i heard that after the PO, some players would be visiting some badminton clubs..is this true? metrosports in cebu?:confused:

Yes, heard that Tony Gunawan and some members of the US team will spend some time in the beaches of Cebu but will hit some shuttles in Metrosports in Cebu. Time of play is not yet definite.

Yes, heard that Tony Gunawan and some members of the US team will spend some time in the beaches of Cebu but will hit some shuttles in Metrosports in Cebu. Time of play is not yet definite.

I hope you can have some drills with tony there ;)

The players are staying at Holiday Inn.

i really hope tat misbun will let LCW play in philippine open...
if LCW get to win philippine open, he might be up to 2nd spot in BWF ranking..
which can avoid him from meeting LD in the semis...

i think LCW will get 2nd spot anyway after his CM performance as CH crashed out first round (courtesy of WCH)...

last tiem i checked the draw, LCW is playing...

Yes, heard that Tony Gunawan and some members of the US team will spend some time in the beaches of Cebu but will hit some shuttles in Metrosports in Cebu. Time of play is not yet definite.

i heard of this rumor around Metrosports, too. they wanted to invite some players to have friendly matches here. even for a fee, i am definitely going to watch. but beaches? well, it's the rainy season right now here in cebu. they can still check out the sites :)

i really hope tat misbun will let LCW play in philippine open...
if LCW get to win philippine open, he might be up to 2nd spot in BWF ranking..
which can avoid him from meeting LD in the semis...

I'm sure LCW is playing. Our local media would have published earlier i think if he was really pulling out.

LCW should be well rested for this PO coz he will be too taxing for him after playing 2 straight high tempo matches in China 2 days ago...
he also risk to carrying an injury which will force him out of the WC..
Nobody would like the tragedy of WCH happened on LCW again...

I had the chance to talk to LCW in Chengdu during the China Open and he said he is playing at the Philippine open. I really admire the Malaysian players, particularly, LCW and Wong Choong Hann. Both of them are very good players and yet so humble and friendly. Wong could have won the 1st set during the finals except for a questionable line call. I have noticed that the Malaysian players never complain. They respect the decisions of the line judges and the umpire, right or wrong. They are true professional players. I have personally met LCW and Wong and they have been very pleasant all the time. Ponsana is another shy and humble player yet have always proven his worth.
In the Philippine open, I will cheer for LCW and Wong anytime. More power to them.:):):)

Had dinner earlier with the players. Some of them are so tired after arriving from Shanghai. Transit flights are the worse. PAL somemore. hehehe.. There will be a press con tomorrow at 11am.

Had dinner earlier with the players. Some of them are so tired after arriving from Shanghai. Transit flights are the worse. PAL somemore. hehehe.. There will be a press con tomorrow at 11am.

I was on the same flight with the Chinese Taipei, England, and Denmark players from Chengdu to Hongkong on board KA 825. Unfortunately, I have to stay in Hongkong for four hours to meet someone. I did not make the immediate connection from HK to the Philippines on CX. I believe they arrived in Manila mid afternoon.
By the way Ants, the qualifying round starts tomorrow but there are no tickets for sale on this date, can the public watch the game ? Is admission free of charge?
And thanks to you and Li De Quan in giving me information about the tickets in China open. There are more tickets in the side streets than in the official ticket outlet.:eek: With some help from the Aviva young volunteers, I got good seats from Tuesday to Friday. During the semis and the finals, the best seats are reserve for the sponsors. Some areas have been totally blocked. The seat numbers did matter Tuesday to Friday. But the last two days people have been fighting for the seats. They have a habit of coming very late and ask people to leave the seats.:confused:

Well thats typical. But not in Malaysia. The tickets there sold out very fast.

No problem in getting my season tickets for the World championship. I got my electronic tickets as soon as the keyed in my credit card number.:)
I believe the Singapore open procedure was very effective. They assigned an area for preferred tickets but no assigned seats. It is on a first come, first serve basis. That procedure avoids blocking good seats and later on selling the tickets at a premium price. I been trying to book my ticket early but the best seats are taken before the Ticketpro open it for sale. Usually, the critical dates are the semi-final and the finals.
Another advantage of free seating is that during the early days of the tournament, people get to move around to watch the matches they want. You are not confirmed to your pre assigned seat. Well, just a suggestion.:o

Simon Santoso withdrew from PO, citing his unfit physical.

Simon Santoso withdrew from PO, citing his unfit physical.

what's wrong??? sick again ha?

what's wrong??? sick again ha?
He told his coach he is not ready to play...

He told his coach he is not ready to play...

Hmm.. interesting :rolleyes: thx for the info..

Simon Santoso withdrew from PO, citing his unfit physical.

I was on the same flight with Simon Santoso from Chengdu, China to Hongkong. I asked him if he will be playing in the Philippine Open and he said "No". However, he is still in the schedule of matches per tournamentsoftware.com. Maybe it has not been updated yet.

More than 20 players withdraw from the tournament yesterday.

More than 20 players withdraw from the tournament yesterday.
Thats pretty bad..did some Chn or INA players show up?

The Star Online
Tuesday July 17, 2007

Three Malaysian men's singles shuttlers pull of Philippines Open
By RAJES PAUL

PETALING JAYA: Three Malaysian men's singles players have pulled out from the Philippines Open, which begins Wednesday in Manila.

But Malaysia can still count on winning the men's singles title through national No 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei.

Wong Choong Hann, Mohd Roslin Hashim and Kuan Beng Hong withdrew from the US$120,000 (RM417,600) tournament for different reasons.

Choong Hann, who finished a runner-up at the China Masters last week, returned home from Manila on Tuesday because of a pain in his knee.

"There was a feeling of discomfort around my knee area in China. I arrived in Manila hoping that it would get better but it did not. I am not taking the risk. I have decided to go back home," said Choong Hann in a telephone interview from Manila.

Roslin and Beng Hong decided to skip the Philippines Open for health reasons.
Roslin, who also skipped the China Masters last week, said he was suffering from flu and had a bad cough.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) general manager Kenny Goh confirmed that Beng Hong was not prepared for the tournament as he still had a viral fever.

Malaysia is now left with six senior players and two back-up players. Besides Chong Wei, the others are Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Sairul Amar Ayob, Lee Tsuen Seng, Yeoh Kay Bin, K. Yogendran, Tan Chun Seang and Liew Daren.

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Sports&p=49&type=2&sec=30&aid=20070717161