FDG Cup National Open unfolds at PowerSmash

Manila, Philippines - The rich FDG Cup 2011 National Open and Invitational badminton tournament gets going today with a power-packed cast, headed by members of the national team and the leading players of various schools and universities, vying for top honors in three divisions at PowerSmash in Makati.

A grueling first day action is lined up among the cream of the crop with a series of matches from the elims to the quarters that are expected to go down-to-the-wire, including the 64-team Open men’s doubles field disputing a record purse of P160,000.

Four matches kick off hostilities at 9 a.m. with DJ Agustine and Enzo Guerrero taking on Christopher Conde and Paul dela Cruz; Salvador Kapunan and R-Jay Ormilla battling Markie Alcala and Reden Cuden; JC Clarito and Jose Martinez squaring off with Melchor de Lima and Jess Sy; and Jose Benipayo and Christopher Flores colliding with Christian Crisostomo and Marvin Santiago.

The top seeded pair of Ronel Estanislao and Paul Vivas drew opening round bye and will face Kelvin Panganiban and Chario Tengo at 1 p.m.

Also on tap at 11 a.m. is the Estanislao-Malvinne Alcala vs Peter Magnaye-Francesca Bermejo clash in the featured Open mixed doubles match which offers a top prize of P100,000.

Alcala, the country’s current No. 1 and winner of the recently Singapore and Australian Juniors Open and Open women’s singles champion of the second leg of the PBaRS (Philippine Badminton Ranking System) tournament in Bacolod, also teams up with Danica San Ignacio as they mix it up with Ann Palenzuela and Lovely Sawada in the Open women’s doubles staking P80,000 to the winning team.

Meanwhile, world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei and fellow Malaysian Koo Kien Keat, currently the world No. 4 in men’s doubles with Boon Heong Tan, will grace the invitational side of the event tomorrow by playing in exhibition matches with officials of the sponsoring Robinsons Land Corp., headed by its president Frederick Go., and veteran internationalist and the country’s former No. 1 Kennevic Asuncion.

The Invitational, which includes Classes A, B, C, D, E and F with a maximum of 32 players in each category, will also feature employees and business partners of Robinsons Land Corp., which consists of the company’s suppliers, contractors, architects, designers and construction managers.

But focus will be on the Estanislao-Vivas and Aries delos Santos-Gabriel Villanueva pairs, which split honors in the first two legs of the PBaRS tilt and are expected to meet again in the finals.

But out to foil their bid are John Kenneth Monterubio and Gerard Sibayan of Allied-Victor and the Andrei Babad-Peter Magnaye along with Jaime Junio Jr.-Alfredo Mailon Jr. pair, Arolas Amahit Jr-Ian Piencenaves, Lloyd Escoses-Wilson Frias, Ivan Angsico-Kevin Ponciano and Prince de Jesus-Joel Estrada tandems.