Top shuttlers face acid FDG Cup test

Manila, Philippines - With the country’s leading players and rising stars seeing action and the world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei gracing the occasion, the FDG Cup 2011, National Open and Invitational badminton tournament promises to be a slam-bang affair when it is held July 1-2 at PowerSmash in Makati.

Top-notch action is expected right in the first day on Friday with a number of explosive matches lined up in the men’s doubles which stakes a record purse of P160,000 to the champion team.

Markie Alcala, who heads the young batch of players, teams up with Reden Cuden for the Allied-Victor team as they take on Salvador Kapunan and R-Jay Ormilla.

Antonio Gadi, who swept the Open singles men’s titles in the first two legs of the PBaRS tournament, links up with Justin Natividad as they collide with City Walk Malolos’ Alter Bernal and Edgar de Jesus in one of the featured matches in the lower half of the 64-team draw.

The joint top-seeded pairs of Aries delos Santos and Gabriel Villanueva and Ronel Estanislao and Paul Vivas drew opening round byes but are expected to encounter stiff resistance against the Nehru Cayaon-Dennis Garcia and Kelvin Panganiban-Charlo Tengco pairs, respectively, in the second round.

More than P500,000 in cash prizes are up for grabs in the Open doubles events in the eighth staging of the event, held in honor of Robinsons Land Corp. president and COO Frederick D. Go.

 Meanwhile, the Invitational will be graced by Lee, who will play in an exhibition games with fellow Malaysian ace Koo Kien Keat, currently the world No. 4 in men’s doubles with Boon Heong Tan.

The duo will see action in the Invitational side of the event featuring employees and business partners of RLC., which consists of the company’s suppliers, contractors, architects, designers and construction managers.

The battle for the ladies doubles title worth P80,000 is also tipped to go down-to-the-wire with top seed Gelita Castilo and Dia Magno and No. 2 Anne Villarta and Ma. Isabelle Villaran heading the 32-team draw that includes top singles players Malvinne Alcala who is teaming up with Danica San Ignacio, and Francesca Bernardno and Rosalie Soberano, as joint No. 3 squads.