VP Binay G’Prix badminton unwraps at Powersmash

The final chase for national badminton ranking points begins Sunday, Oct. 23, as the cream of the crop and rising stars slug it out in the P1 million VP Binay Grand Prix Badminton Open Championships-PBaRS fourth leg at Powersmash in Makati.
They are all here – from current frontrunners Toby Gadi and Gelita Castilo (Open singles), to Joper Escueta and Bianca Carlos (Under-19), to Markie Alcala and Joella de Vera (Under-15), ready to take on the challenge of their respective rivals in pursuit of spots in the national badminton hierarchy.

 

Cash prizes are also up for grabs in the week-long event co-presented by MVP Sports Foundation and Robinsons Land – the culmination of a four-leg nationwide circuit that ranks players according to their strength and performance.

 

Hostilities fire off at 9 a.m. with the elims in the 128-player boys’ U-19 singles where a dogfight for No. 1 looms between Escueta and Wilbert Natividad with just 30 points separating them. Escueta has pooled 15,252 points on victories in the first two legs and a fifth-place effort in the Davao stage ruled to close in with 15,222.

 

Carlos, 16, is a cinch in the ladies side after sweeping the first three legs of he circuit put up by Vice President and Philippine Badminton Association president Jejomar Binay, Rep. Albee Benitez and businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan to develop world class players. The Golden Shuttle Foundation mainstay is also in the hunt in the women’s Open singles with 14,352 points, trailing another GSF bet Gelita Castilo, who assembled 16,200 on a key victory in Davao.

 

But Castilo is all-primed up for another win by winning the rookie of the year plum in the UAAP although she remains wary of her chances with a slew of talented players out to foil her bid, including Danica Bolos, Grace Lim, Danica San Ignacio, Janelle de Vera and the fancied Malvinne Alcala.

 

“I can’t say that I can win again because there are so many strong players but I’ll try my very best. I’ll just leave it all to God,” said Castilo, who trains twice-a-week in between studies at Ateneo.

 

Alcala, 16, looms as Castilo and Carlos top rival with the reigning Singapore and Australian Juniors champion, who didn’t see action in the first and third legs, out to score a repeat of her romp in Bacolod’s second leg of the tournament sponsored by PLDT Smart Foundation, Robinsons Mall, Gatorade and official equipment sponsor Victor, exclusively distributed by PCOME Industrial Sales, Inc.

Also on tap in the opener are matches in the girls U-19 singles, U-15 singles in both boys and girls and the men’s Open singles in the afternoon. The qualifiers will be held till Wednesday with the quarterfinals, semifinals and the finals slated at Philsports Arena in Pasig, according to PBaRS tournament director Nelson Asuncion.

 

At stake in the Open classes of the event, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the PBA., are P70,000 while the U-19 and U-15 winners will receive P20,000 and P10,000, respectively.

 

Also up for grabs in the tournament, supported by media partners The Philippine STAR, TV5, Badminton Extreme Philippines Magazine, Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, 99.5 RT and 103.5 WOW! and TV-5, are the titles in the doubles and mixed doubles events in the Open and U-19 classes and the singles, doubles and mixed doubles in the Under-15 divisions.(pr)

Aces vie in VP Binay GP Badminton Open

The cream of the country’s badminton crop and a slew of rising stars mix it up one last time this year as they battle for supremacy and national ranking in the VP Binay Grand Prix Badminton Open Championships-PBaRS 4th leg slated Oct. 23-29 at PowerSmash in Makati.

The upcoming week-long event serves as the culmination of a four-leg circuit that took off in Makati last March and swung to Bacolod and Davao in May and July, respectively, to provide the players a series of top-level tournaments and at the same time give those in the provinces the chance to compete against the best and gain ranking points.

Co-presented by MVP Sports Foundation and Robinsons Land Corp., the VP Binay GP caps the PBaRS series of tournaments put up by Vice President and Philippine Badminton Association president Jejomar Binay, Rep. Albee Benitez and businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan in their collective effort to bring the sport to a higher level and produce world-class players.

Registration is ongoing with deadline set on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. at the PBaRS office (20. E. Maclang St. San Juan).  For details, visithttp://www.pbars.com. The elims will be held at Powersmash in Makati with the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals to be played either at the Philsports Arena or Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Events on tap are the Open, Under-19 and Under-15 divisions in the men’s and ladies singles and men’s and ladies doubles and mixed doubles categories.

Open men’s singles champion Antonino Gadi and U-15 singles titlist Markie Alcala are expected to lead the title chase as they go for a rare sweep of the four legs of the circuit sponsored PLDT Smart Foundation, Robinsons Mall, Bingo Bonanza Corp., Gatorade and official equipment sponsor Victor, exclusively distributed by PCOME Industrial Sales, Inc.

Gelita Castilo, who finally clinched the elusive win in PBaRs-Davao leg after two runners-up finishes in the ladies Open singles, is also tipped to headline what could be a blockbuster cast in the distaff side that includes Manila leg champion Bianca Carlos and Bacolod stage winner Malvinne Alcala.

Carlos is also out to complete a sweep of four legs in the U-19 girls singles while others set to see action are U-19 leg boys winners Joper Escueta, who topped the Manila and Bacolod legs, and Davao stage champion Wilbert Natividad along with U-15 leg champions Joella De Vera (Manila and Davao), Louise Ramos (Bacolod).

Other titles to be disputed in the event, organized by the Philippine Badminton Ranking System and backed by media partners The Philippine STAR, TV5, Badminton Extreme Philippines Magazine, Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, 99.5 RT and 103.5 WOW! and TV-5, are the men’s and ladies doubles and the mixed doubles in the Open, U-19 and U-15 categories.

A total prize fund of P1 million will be up for grabs in the event, which ranks the players according to their strength and performance, with Open champions getting P70,000 and the U-19 and U-15 winners receiving P20,000 and P10,000, respectively.(pr)

Castilo stops Carlos, cops PBaRS Open singles

Gelita Castilo finally ended her search for the women’s Open singles crown in the MVP Sports Foundation-Bingo Bonanza Philippine Badminton Ranking System (PBaRS) circuit as she mastered Bianca Carlos, 21-7, 21-14, in the final before a big crowd at the Wheels ‘N More badminton courts in Davao City, Wednesday.
The top seeded Castilo, who bowed to Castilo in the Manila leg final and yielded the Bacolod leg title to Malvinne Alcala, turned in a solid all-around performance to outplay Carlos in the opening set then held sway in the next to essay the 33-minute victory.
The top Golden Shuttle Foundation bet took home the top P70,000 purse in the P1 million event which served as the third leg of the four-stage nation-wide circuit put up the Philippine Badminton Association under Vice President and PBA president Jejomar Binay, Rep. Albee Benitez and businessman-sportsman Manny V. Pangilinan.
Carlos settled for P35,000 while joint third placers Bianca Legaspi and Fatima Cruz received P10,500 each during awards rites of the event backed by official equipment sponsor Victor, exclusively distributed by PCOME Industrial Sales, Inc.
Antonino Gadi, another GSF mainstay, kept his reign in the men‘s Open singles, battling back from a first-set setback to turn back Paul Vivas, 19-21, 21-12, 21-14, and pocket the P70,000 purse after the one-hour encounter.
Despite her loss in the Open, Carlos re-stamped her class in Under-19 class, beating Janelle De Vera, 21-16, 21-15, to claim her third straight crown after besting Nikki Servando in Manila and Ana Barredo in Bacolod.
Wilbert Natividad captured his PBaRS crown as he thwarted Rabie Jason Oba-ob, 21-10, 21-13, in the final of boys” U-19 category of the event supported by PLDT-Smart Foundation, Victor PCOME Industrial Sales, Gatorade and Powersmash with The Philippine STAR, TV5, Badminton Extreme Philippines Magazine, Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, 99.5 RT and 103.5 WOW! as media partners.
Carlos and Natividad each won P20,000.
Top-ranked Markie Alcala, meanwhile, held off second seed Alvin Morada in a tough three-set duel, fighting back from a second set loss to complete a 21-16, 20-22, 21-14 win for his third straight title in the boys’ U-15 division.
Whackers’ Joella de Vera, winner of the Manila leg, reclaimed the girls’ U-15 crown with a 21-18, 21-12 victory over Amabal Sumabat.
Alcala and Sumated each received P10,000.(pr)