World No. 2 pair heads Malaysia’s bid in RP Open

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The world No. 2 men’s doubles pair of Koo Kiet Keat
and Tan Boon Heong joins world No. 3 Lee Chong Wei as
spearheads of Malaysia in the $120,000 Bingo Bonanza
Philippine Open Badminton Championships slated  July
18-22 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, Metro
Manila.

Koo and Tan, who have racked up a string of victories
since they teamed up in 2005, including the Denmark
Open in 2005 and the Swiss Open and the Commonwealth
Games last year, humbled the fancied Indon pair of
Luluk Hadiyanto and Alvent Yulianto Chandra in the
final to capture the Asian Games gold in Doha, Qatar
last December.

They will be the marked pair in their side of the
event but the top-seeded 21-year-old Koo and Tan, 19,
are raring to strut their wares before local fans and
against a talent-laden field, including world No. 6
Tony Gunawan of the US and Indon Candra Wijaya, out to
foil their title bid.

 Four Malaysians are also tipped to fight for the
crown in the star-studded men’s singles, including
defending champion Hafiz Hashim, Kay Bin Yeoh and Lee
Buen Seng, seeded No. 10 and 13, respectively in the
RP Open.

Wong Mew Choo, the world No. 11 and runner-up in the
recent Malaysia Super Series, and Wong Pei Xian Julia
head Malaysia’s bid in women’s singles while the Lim
Pek Siah-Quay Joan Swee Ling tandem and the Chan Peng
Soon-Abdul Latif Nairul Suhaidu pair will carry the
cudgels in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles
events.

The five-day event, a Grand Prix Gold tournament
sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation
and organized by IMG, drew 31 countries and 319
participants, doubling last year’s roster and tripling
the cast in last year’s inaugurals.

Five of the world top 10 players are in the fold in
the men’s singles, including No. 3 Lee, China’s world
No. 2 Chen Hong, No. 6 Bao Chunlai of China, No. 8
Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark and reigning Olympic and
Asian Games champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, who
has gone up to No. 9 in the latest world rankings.

The RP Open, backed by Victor, exclusively distributed
by Pcome Industrial Sales, Inc., Snickers, The
Philippine Star, Solar Sports (official broadcaster),
Holiday Inn Galleria Manila and The Richmonde
(official hotels), will also stake world ranking
points and serves as an Olympic Qualifying tournament
where players shoot for important ranking points to
qualify for next year’s Olympiad in Beijing.

Thirty-five Filipinos, including 20 in the singles
events, are competing in the event with majority
hoping to hurdle the one-day qualifying on July 17 for
spots in the tournament proper.

The Asuncion siblings – Kennie and Kennevic,
meanwhile, are all geared up for another crack at the
mixed doubles crown of this event sponsored by Bingo
Bonanza Corp. after they lost last year’s title to
Thais Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thoungthangkam.

 

 

Tan (left) in action with partner Koo during the Asian
Games in Doha, Qatar