Top seeds roll past rivals in Yonex Sunrise badminton tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Seven of the top ten seeds survived the upset axe at the end of Day 4 of the 2008 Yonex-Sunrise Philippines National Open Badminton Championships at the Yonex Philippines Badminton Center in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City. Top seed and defending men’s open singles champion Lloyd Escoes and second-ranked Arolas Amahit made short work of their respective rivals to lead the list of favorites who moved on into the next round. Escoses, representing the Escoses Training Camp-Yonex Philippines Badminton Club (ETC-YPBC), coasted to a 21-9, 21-8 win over Jerome Serrano of Far Eastern University-Hooked to enter the Round of 32. Amahit, playing under the Philippine Army-Philippine Star team, needed only 19 minutes in showing Calvin Bandialan the exit door, 21-12, 21-10. He will next face unseeded Ian Mendes, a 21-11, 21-12 winner over Neovanyl Arana, in a Round of 16 match on Thursday with the winner earning a quarterfinal berth. Escoses, who topped the P120,000 event last year, will pit the former UAAP Male Athlete of the Year winner against Golden Shuttle Foundation’s Antonino Gadi, who completed a 21-4, 21-10 demolition of 17th seed Julius Marcos of the Philippine Navy, in the Round of 16. The 2008 edition of the five-year Yonex-Sunrise RP Open is considered as the toughest especially in the men’s open singles where current and former Philippine National team members are entered in the main draw. Owen Lopez became a surprising casualty of the day after the former National team member suffered a 21-16, 21-12 defeat to University of the East’s Heildenberg Dimarucot, who will next face No. 4 Rodel Bartolome. Other seeds who survived are Kelvin Tim Ang (3), Jose Carlos Benipayo (5), Jobett Co (6), Ian Gil Piencenaves (7) and Emmanuel Garcia (14). Ang, Benipayo and Co will face the unseeded Don Johnson Agustin, Mark Alvin Natividad and John Pasanting in the Round of 16 while Piencenaves will meet Garcia. Unranked Wilmer Frias and Jornellous Castro will also vie for a quarterfinal spot. In the women’s open, top seeds Rose Ann Dela Cruz (1), Ron Kagalingan (2), Kristine Cornista (3) and Alena Superficial (4) remained on track in their respective title bids making it into the Round of 16. The top three seeded pairs of Joffre Arollado and Cliff Marvin Yan of Solid Badminton Club, La Salle’s Bryan Chan and Michael Paclibar, and Alex Cuevas and Dodi Sertan remained the title favorites in the men’s doubles open after brushing aside their respective foes. Top seed Rachel Guerrero and Raquel Guerrero will be joined by the second-ranked duo of Rose Ann Dela Cruz and Jem Vicencio, and the Iloilo’s Annelyn Alba and Lynneth Esico in the women’s doubles open Round of 16. – GMANews.TV