THE Philippines is set to host a world-class badminton tournament for the first time, as the Philippine International Challenge 2026 gets underway with the qualifying rounds today (Tuesday) at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
The International Challenge is a Grade 3, Level 1 tournament on the Badminton World Federation Continental Circuit, alongside the International Series and Future Series. The event awards ranking points that count toward the BWF World Rankings.
"The association sent bids to host these tournaments. Gratefully, they accepted, and with the support of and with the go-signal from boss MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan), we were able to plan out and bring it to life," said Philippine Badminton Association secretary-general Shawntel Nieto.
The tournament will run until August 2, with an International Junior Series tournament set to follow the following week at the same venue.
Leading the men's singles field is Kazakhstan's Dimitri Panarin, who returns to the Philippines after his main draw appearance in the 2022 Badminton Asia Championships. Joining him among the top five seeds are India's Manraj Singh and Alap Mishra, Indonesia's Christian Adinata, and Malaysia's Jing Hong Kok.
On the women's side, 21-year-old Thai standout Tidaporn Kleebyeesun headlines the draw as top seed. She is followed by fellow Thais Yataweemin Ketklieng and Pornpicha Choeikeewong, Indonesian-born Azerbaijani Keisha Fatimah Azzahra, and Malaysia's Siti Zulaikha.
Philippine bets
Fresh off their campaigns in the recently concluded Philippine National Badminton Open, Clarence Villaflor and four-time national women's singles champion Mika De Guzman, both ranked world No. 122, will lead the Philippine contingent as Top 10 seeds in their respective draws. Reigning three-time national men's singles champion Jelo Albo also banners the local challenge in men's singles.
Also advancing directly to the main draw are PNBO men's doubles champions Julius Villabrille and Solomon Padiz Jr., women's doubles runners-up Lea Inlayo and Jeya Pinlac, and the tandem of Hailene Diaz and Naeomi Gulpany in the women's doubles Round of 32.
Smash Pilipinas begins its campaign in the qualifying rounds with Mark Velasco and JR Pandi. Velasco takes on Saudi Arabia's Mehad Shaikh, while Pandi faces Australia's Ken Richardson. A victory by either player will send them to the main draw alongside Villaflor and Albo.
In mixed doubles qualifying, newly crowned national champions Villabrille and Andrea Princess Hernandez will face Patricia Barredo and Filipino-born Australian Jan Mark Sotea for a main draw berth. Padiz Jr. and Mary Destiny Untalan will also look to qualify when they take on Vietnam's Le Minh Son and Mai Thi Thanh Ngan.
Meanwhile, Lance Vargas and Carlo Remo will battle Laos' Namboun Luangamath and Phonesack Sookthavy in the men's doubles qualifying draw.
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