INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- Kelvin Panganiban?s ongoing stint in the Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open badminton championships makes him hungry for more chances of facing the world?s best players.

Panganiban and doubles partner Gabriel Villanueva won against countrymen Joffre Arollado and Cliff Yan to advance into the final 16 in the tournament, which gathers some of the sport?s top players today.

The RP Open, which kicked off last Wednesday, has attracted top players from powerhouse nations Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

The 17 year-old varsity player from UP Diliman earlier lost to Malaysian Beryno Wong in the men?s singles division.

?Our exposure to this type of tournaments made us realize that there are lots of better players and that it is a big help for us to know our strengths and weaknesses as players, said Panganiban.

Just like Manny Pacquiao in boxing or Efren Reyes in billiards, he said he and his fellow Filipino shuttlers also want to make a name for themselves in badminton.

Unlike players from other countries training full-time, he said most members of the national team are busy studying while honing their skills.

?They (foreign players) can focus and dedicate themselves full time to badminton while we have to divide our time balancing our studies and sports,? said Panganiban, a freshman from UP Diliman majoring in Communications Research.

Panganiban is also looking forward to competing in the forthcoming UAAP season. He believes De La Salle University is the team to beat.

?I think they (DLSU) are the strongest because they have a good line up of excellent players,? he said.

For now, Panganiban is taking step one victory at a time. ?I wish more young Filipinos will get into badminton and someday contribute in bringing honor to the country,? he said.