Strong International Entries For NZ Badminton Open

The SKYCITY NZ Badminton Open next month in Auckland has scored a coup, firstly with the number of players entered into the event, but also by the fact that for the first time ever in an international event in New Zealand there will be an reserve  list for two of the qualifying draws, let alone a full main draw in all singles, doubles and mixed competitions.

There are also 21 nations represented by the 277 players in the tournament as well as more depth ever seen in an event in New Zealand.

The April 10-14 tournament to be held at the North Shore Events Centre has also attracted former world No3 men’s player Simon Santoso who currently sits at No 20 in the world and is a three-time Sudirman Cup and four-time Thomas Cup representative for Indonesia. Santoso, aged 27 is keen to use the Auckland tournament as a stepping stone to return to the top 10 after injuries have kept him out of initial play so far this year.

Jen Hao Hsu(Taipei) is the likely third seed with a ranking of 30 and is an Olympian for his country. Heading the Kiwi contingent will be New Zealand No1 Joe Wu who has a current ranking of 123 and was a winner of two titles in South and Central America last year.

Overall the men’s singles will be a 64 draw including eight qualifiers. All other draws will be 32 players with four qualifying places.

The women’s draw is set to be led by Taipei’s Hsiao Ma Pai at with a ranking of 21 followed by Kaori Imabeppu. New Zealand players will include Anna Rankin from Southland and Anona Pak(North Harbour).

The men’s doubles draw features four combinations ranked in the world’s top 20,  the Indonesian combination of Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan who won the prestigious Malaysian Open earlier this year as an unseeded pair.

The top seeded pair are likely to be Ryan Agung Saputra and Angga Pratama(Indonesia) at No13 in the rankings followed by Khim Wah Lim and Shem Goh ranked 15th in the world from Malaysia. Two more Malaysian pairs are next at 16 and 18. The Kiwi combination of Oliver Leydon Davis and Kevin Dennerley Minturn will be in the main draw and will provide plenty of entertainment as they take on their rivals with their aggressive style.

The women’s doubles has four teams inside the top 50 including the Korean pair Ye Na Jan and So Young Kim who were recent semifinalists at the strong German Open earlier this month.

Two Indonesian pairs head the mixed doubles player list; Riky Widianto and Puspita Richi Dili who are ranked at 12 followed by Irfan Fadhilah and Weni Anggraini. Widianto and Dili have excelled in tournaments in Asia such as the Malaysian Open Gold Grand Prix and Indonesian Grand Prix as well as winning the Osaka Challenger title. The highlight for Fadhilah and Anggraini last year was a finals placing at the Malaysian Open Gold Grand Prix event.

The New Zealand brother and sister combination of Oliver Leydon Davis and Susannah Leydon Davis will be the top local hope in the mixed doubles.

The large number of entries means organisors will schedule 64 qualifying matches and 187 main draw matches in total using an estimated 2000 shuttles. There are around 300 players, coaches and delegates with large teams of players from China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand as well as New Zealand and Australia.
The tournament brings top international badminton to New Zealand after the last event was held in 2011 as the Li-Ning New Zealand International Challenge.  This year sees the event upgraded to a BWF World Grand Prix event, with prize-money of US$50,000 and part of a three tournament swing through Oceania; it follows on from the Australian Badminton Open in Sydney - a Grand Prix Gold tournament, and precedes the Tahiti International.
SKYCITY NZ Open Event Director, Julie Carrel says it’s a huge number of talented players coming to the tournament. “What is clearly evident in the entry list is that there is huge depth in the sport around the world and it’s getting deeper. There are a lot of potential Olympians for Rio in the draw, especially from China who appear to be bringing a large group of younger players who will probably be close to the medals at the next Olympics. As a team the Chinese are taking this tournament very seriously, with coaches, trainers and even their own stringer coming to Auckland,” says Carrel

“It’s great to have so much interest in the event which is part of the world circuit and seeing so many different nations involved. It’s going to be tough for local players, but I’m sure they are keen to get in amongst their top rivals from around the world.”

Tickets range from $6  to  $35 with tournament packages from $58 and courtside hospitality from $75pp.  There are also Finals Entertainment packages available which include accommodation, breakfast, transport to the venue and hospitality.   http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2013/skycity-new-zealand-badminton-open/auckland/wairau-valley

The Auckland finals will be broadcast live into a number of Asian nations due to the high interest in the sport in this part of the world. Web-streaming will be available as from the round of 16 in all events.
The SKYCITY New Zealand Badminton Open will be held from 10-14 April 2013 at the North Shore Events Centre, Auckland.
http://nzbadmintonopen.com/
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