jbchiong
07-04-2007, 01:23 AM
Hey guys!!! Check this out. :eek:
RP Open draws world’s No. 2 badminton tandem
By Jasmine W. Payo
Inquirer
Last updated 05:33am (Mla time) 07/04/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The world’s second-ranked pair of Koo Kiet Keat and Tan Boon Heong of Malaysia backstops a tough men’s doubles field in the Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open Badminton Championships which gets going July 18 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Unbeaten since first teaming up in 2005, Koo and Tan clinched the Asian Games gold after disposing the fancied Indon pair of Luluk Hadiyanto and Alvent Yulianto Chandra in the men’s double finals in Doha, Qatar, last December.
Koo and Tan will be up against a talent-laden field that includes world No. 6 Tony Gunawan of the Unites States and Candra Wijaya of Indonesia.
The 21-year-old Koo and the 19-year-old Tan also bagged the doubles championship in the 2005 Denmark and Swiss Opens and the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games last year.
Five of the world’s top 10 players are in the fold in the men’s singles, including Olympic and Asian Games champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
Hidayat, seeded ninth in the latest world rankings, will mix it up against world No. 2 Chen Hong, No. 3 Lee and No. 6 Bao Chunlai of China and No. 8 Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark.
The majority of the 35 Filipino bets, including 20 in singles, vie for spots in the tournament proper during the one-day qualifying on July 17.
The Asuncion siblings -- Kennie and Kennevic -- will take another crack at the mixed doubles crown after losing last year’s title to Thais Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthangkam.
Just like in the mixed doubles, Malaysians are favored to put up a tough fight in the singles competition.
Defending champion Hafiz Hashim, world No. 3 Lee Chong Wei, Kay Bin Yeoh and Lee Buen Seng stand at the vanguard of Malaysia’s solid roster in men’s singles.
World No. 11 Wong Mew Choo, runner-up in the recent Malaysia Super Series, and Wong Pei Xian Julia will spearhead Malaysia’s bid in women’s singles.
The tandem of Lim Pek Siah and Quay Joan Swee Ling will be their women’s doubles bet, while the pair of Chan Peng Soon and Abdul Latif Nairul Suhaidu will carry the cudgels in the mixed doubles.
The five-day event, sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation and organized by IMG, drew 319 players -- doubling last year’s roster and tripling the cast in the inaugurals -- from 31 countries.
:confused: :confused: :confused:
Source Inquirer.net
Link -> http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/sports/view_article.php?article_id=74689
RP Open draws world’s No. 2 badminton tandem
By Jasmine W. Payo
Inquirer
Last updated 05:33am (Mla time) 07/04/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The world’s second-ranked pair of Koo Kiet Keat and Tan Boon Heong of Malaysia backstops a tough men’s doubles field in the Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open Badminton Championships which gets going July 18 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Unbeaten since first teaming up in 2005, Koo and Tan clinched the Asian Games gold after disposing the fancied Indon pair of Luluk Hadiyanto and Alvent Yulianto Chandra in the men’s double finals in Doha, Qatar, last December.
Koo and Tan will be up against a talent-laden field that includes world No. 6 Tony Gunawan of the Unites States and Candra Wijaya of Indonesia.
The 21-year-old Koo and the 19-year-old Tan also bagged the doubles championship in the 2005 Denmark and Swiss Opens and the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games last year.
Five of the world’s top 10 players are in the fold in the men’s singles, including Olympic and Asian Games champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
Hidayat, seeded ninth in the latest world rankings, will mix it up against world No. 2 Chen Hong, No. 3 Lee and No. 6 Bao Chunlai of China and No. 8 Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark.
The majority of the 35 Filipino bets, including 20 in singles, vie for spots in the tournament proper during the one-day qualifying on July 17.
The Asuncion siblings -- Kennie and Kennevic -- will take another crack at the mixed doubles crown after losing last year’s title to Thais Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthangkam.
Just like in the mixed doubles, Malaysians are favored to put up a tough fight in the singles competition.
Defending champion Hafiz Hashim, world No. 3 Lee Chong Wei, Kay Bin Yeoh and Lee Buen Seng stand at the vanguard of Malaysia’s solid roster in men’s singles.
World No. 11 Wong Mew Choo, runner-up in the recent Malaysia Super Series, and Wong Pei Xian Julia will spearhead Malaysia’s bid in women’s singles.
The tandem of Lim Pek Siah and Quay Joan Swee Ling will be their women’s doubles bet, while the pair of Chan Peng Soon and Abdul Latif Nairul Suhaidu will carry the cudgels in the mixed doubles.
The five-day event, sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation and organized by IMG, drew 319 players -- doubling last year’s roster and tripling the cast in the inaugurals -- from 31 countries.
:confused: :confused: :confused:
Source Inquirer.net
Link -> http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/sports/view_article.php?article_id=74689