Celebrity bets add glamour to JVC Open

Twenty-four TV, movie and sports personalities, including Angela Velez, Glydel Mercado, Maritoni Fernandez and Chiqui Roa, provide the glitter and luster in a star-studded celebrity tournament in the JVC Open Badminton Championships which fires off Monday at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.

Four teams of six players will play in the round-robin celebrity tournament with the winning squad getting the top P60,000 purse. Events on tap are the men’s, ladies and mixed doubles with each player allowed to play in only one event. The second placer will receive P45,000 while the third and fourth finishers will get P30,000 each.

Roa heads Team A that includes Anthony Suntay, Patrick dela Rosa, Chicco Garcia, Glenda Garcia and Mariz Ricketts, while Fernandez anchors Team B composed of Hans Montenegro, Ricky Davao, Ricardo Cepeda, Apples Aberin and Gem Padilla.

Mercado joins Tonton Gutierrez, Maribeth Bichara and the brother-sister tandem of Ruby and Raffy Rodriguez in Team C, while Velez leads Team D composed of Marc Nelson, Dennis Salud, Cody Moreno and the sister-pair of Dyan and Jackie Castillejo.

For updates and other details, please log on to www.jvcopen.com.