CONSIDERED minnows in the big Asian badminton pool, Jewel Angelo Albo and Mikaela de Guzman open the country’s campaign today in the qualifying round of the Smart Asian Badminton Championships men’s and women’s singles divisions at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Tunasan, Muntinlupa.
A former national age group standout, Albo, bracketed in Group D, faces China’s Lei Lan Xi and Hong Kong’s Chan Yin Chak, needing to win both matches to get a crack at No. 8 seed Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan in the round-of-16.
De Guzman, the 2019 UAAP Season 82 Badminton Rookie of the Year, will also play in Group D in the women’s singles qualifying event. She tackles Malaysia’s Myisha Mohamad Kairul and Indonesia’s Komang Ayu Kahya Dewi for a spot in the main draw.
The group winner takes on China’s Han Yue in the opening round of the tournament organized by the Philippine Badminton Association and sanctioned by Badminton Asia.
Also going through the qualifying round of the women’s doubles event is the Pinay pair of Eleanor Christine Inlayo and Susmita Angelique Ramos, who will be up against Hong Kong’s Leu Sze Lok and Yuen Sin Ying in Group D.
The winner faces the fifth-seeded Japanese duo of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the regular draw of the competition considered a “level 2” tournament by the Badminton World Federation for the first time with higher ranking points for the players entered.
Two Filipino tandems have already qualified for the main draw of the men’s doubles event.
Veterans Solomon Padiz Jr. and Julius Villabrille tangle with the No. 8 Malaysian team of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izuddin while Christian Bernardo and Paul John Pantig are up against the seventh-seeded South Korean tandem of Choi Soigyu and Seo Sungjae.
