Sudirman Cup: Asuncions lead RP shuttlers to 5-0 win over Turkey

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines finished the elimination round of the 2009 Sudirman Cup Group 4-Subgroup A in Guangzhou, China with a 5-0 win over Turkey Thursday. Siblings Kennevic and Kennie Asuncion won over Mustafa Yalvareci and Elif Aktas, 21-18, 21-8, in the mixed doubles for only 14 minutes to start off the Filipinos’ rout of the Turkish side. In the men’s doubles, Kennevic teamed up with Paul Vivas to beat Mehmet Tural and Ali Kaya, 18-21, 21-18, 21-12 while Kennie joined Gelita Castillo in the women’s doubles for a 21-11, 21-11 decision against Ezgi Epice and Oznur Caliskan. Antonio Benjamin Gadi overcame a first set loss in defeating Tural, 17-21, 21-10, 21-14, in men’s singles action while Karyn Cecilia Velez downed Epice, 21-16, 21-10. The RP shuttlers, competing in the Sudirman Cup for the first time, ended the single round elimination with a 3-1 win-loss card, good for second place. The Philippines beat Luxembourg and South Africa, 4-1, but lost to Switzerland, 5-0, in earlier games. Switzerland eventually completed a four-game sweep and will face Subgroup B top-seed Lithuania for a promotion seat to Group 3. The Philippines will play Portugal Friday in a battle for 27th place in the 34 nation tournament. Top nations Indonesia, Malaysia, Denmark, Hong Kong, China, England, Japan and Korea are bracketed in Group 1. Thailand, Singapore, Poland, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Netherlands, Russia and France are in Group 2, while Sweden, India, Scotland, United States, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Australia and Bulgaria are in Group 3. – GMANews.TV