Phl aces vie in rich FDG Cup

Manila, Philippines - The cream of the country’s badminton crop, headed by Malvinne Alcala and Gelita Castilo, slug it out for top honors and princely prizes in the FDG Cup 2011, National Open and Invitational badminton tournament, which unfolds July 1-2 at PowerSmash in Makati City.

Castilo and Dia Nicole Magno, who swept the Open women’s doubles crowns in the first two legs of the PBaRS (Philippine Badminton Ranking System) circuit, get the top seeding as the Ateneo-Golden Shuttle Foundation pair sets out for another title hunt against a crack roster of challengers for the top P80,000 purse.

Alcala, the country’s top singles player and winner of the Singapore and Australian Juniors Open, teams up with Danica San Ignacio as the National team-Victor tandem tries to get back at Castilo and Magno after losing the title in a thrilling three-setter in the Bacolod leg of the PBaRS circuit recently.

Joining the title chase in the event, which offers more than P500,000 in cash prizes and held in honor of Robinsons Land Corp. president Frederick Go, are the Reyne Calimlim-Pauline Ramos tandem from La Salle and Jubie Villacarta-Abel Villaran pair of Robinsons Land Corp.

Also on tap in the event is the invitational competitions featuring no less than world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, who will play exhibition games with fellow Malaysian ace Koo Kien Keat, currently the world No. 4 in men’s doubles with Boon Heong Tan.

Ronel Estanislao and Paul Vivas, also of Phl team-Victor, head the cast in the Open men’s doubles, which stakes a whopping P160,000 prize to the champion. Also in the fold are Aries delos Santos and Gabriel Villanueva of Nat’l team-Victor, Allied-Victor’s John Monterubio and Gerard Sibayan, and Andrei Babad and Peter Magnaye, also of Phl team-Victor.

Estanislao and Alcala, meanwhile, lead the Open mixed doubles field, which offers P100,000 to the winner and includes the tandems of Vivas-Ana Patricia Barredo, Kevin Dalisay and Pia Fabros, both of Phl team-Victor, and UP-Diliman’s Roden Rivera Jr. and Pauline Marie Tan.

Meanwhile, the posting of entries will be done today (Sunday) with the draw set June 24 at the Crown Plaza Hotel-Emerald C starting at 4 p.m. For details, visit the event’s website on fdgcup.com <mailto:[email protected]> or contact Nelson Asuncion at 725-4942 or Glenn Encarnacion/Richard Bautista at 0922-8733369.

The elims all the way to the quarterfinals for the Open will be played July 1 while the semis and the finals and the Invitational will be held July 2.

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.