INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Siblings Kennievic and Kennie Asuncion and 90 other Filipino shuttlers gun for world ranking points against some of the world?s finest shuttlers in the Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open Grand Prix championship on July 1 to 5 at the Phil-Sports Arena in Pasig.

The $120,000 tournament is a Badminton World Federation four-star or gold event and offers local players a chance to gain ranking points required to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics berths.

The winner of a Grand Prix gold event gets 7,000 points and the runner-up 5,950.

The Asuncions will again compete in the mixed doubles category.

Kennevic will also team up with Lloyd Escoses in the men?s doubles, while Kennie will partner Lili Wang in ladies play.

Mark Natividad, Antonino Gadi, Wilmer Frias, Kelvin Ang, Jaime Junio and brothers Patrick and Peter Magnaye head the 23 Filipino players competing in the 56-strong men?s singles, while Irene Chiu, Gelita Castillo, Malvinne Alcala, Reyne Calimlim and Fatima Cruz carry the country?s hopes in ladies singles.

Players from China, numbering 29, are tipped to dominate the tournament, which will also have aces from England, Vietnam, Germany, Canada, Wales, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Chinese-Taipei, Japan, Russia and Macau.

China is fielding Badminton Asia runner-up and former world junior champion Chen Long, Zhou Wenlong, Du Pengyu, Gao Huan and Lu Qicheng in men?s singles, and world no. 21 Jiang Yanjiao, Wang Xin, Wang Shixian and Li Xuerui in women?s singles.

Also entered are world No. 10 Yan Kit Chan of Hong Kong, Vietnam?s world No. 11 Tien Minh Nguyen and Malaysia?s Tsuen Seng Lee.