Chinese aces banner RP Open field

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Chen Hong, the world’s No. 3, heads a talent-laden
roster of Chinese players competing in the second
Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open Badminton
Championships firing off July 18 at the Philsports
Arena in Pasig City, Metro Manila.

Chen, back-to-back winner of the China and Denmark
Opens last year, will be coming off a runner-up finish
in the recent Asian Continental Championship and a
semifinal stint in the Indonesian Super Series, making
him the player to watch in the men’s singles event of
the five-day $120,000 championship.

Joining the crack Chinese delegation in the event are
Lu Yi and Gong Weijie (men’s singles), Wang Yihan and
Zhu Jinging (women’s singles), Guo Zhendong/Xie
Zhongbo (men’s doubles), Yang Wei/Zhao Tingting and
Tian Qing/Pan Pan (ladies doubles) and Zhang Jun/Zhang
Tingting (mixed doubles).

Earlier, Pi Hongyan of France and Andrew Smith of
England confirmed their participation in the event,
sponsored for the second straight year by Bingo
Bonanza and backed by Victor, exclusively distributed
by Pcome Industrial Sales, Inc.

The RP Open, supported by Solar Sports and media
partners Philippine Star, DWRT, Jam, Klite, Magiic and
Wave, will be played after the Thailand Open, is a BWF
(Badminton World Federation) Grand Prix Gold event to
be held after the Thailand Open, another Grand Prix
gold championship slated July 3-8 in Bangkok and the
China Super Series set July 10-15 in Chengdu City.

Meantime, registration for the event, held under the
auspices of the Philippine Badminton Association, is
now ongoing with deadline set on June 12, according to
the organizing IMG (International Management Group), a
revered name in running successful high-profile
badminton events.

All entries must be made on an Entry Form and sent via
mail, fax or email to PBA (Philippine Badminton
Association) Badminton Hall, Rizal Memorial Sports
Complex, Malate, Manila, Philippines; tel. Nos. 632
303 1070; 632 3382431 or fax: 632 303 1070; Email:
joebm_13@yahoo.com.