YONEX NEWS
YONEX AUSTRALIAN OPEN GRAND PRIX
Fri 28 August 2009
The inaugural Yonex Australian Open Grand Prix 2009 Badminton Championships was held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Center from 22 - 26 July 2009.
The event was originally planned as an International Challenge however a decision was quickly made to upgrade the event to Grand Prix level after YONEX announced the contribution of US$50,000 in prize money. This is the largest contribution seen in the history of Australian Badminton.
The YONEX Australian Open Badminton Championships attracted over 150 entries worldwide from Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Czech Republic, The Philippines, Mauritius, USA, Guatemala and local players from Australia and New Zealand.
YONEX Japan labeled the championships a huge success. The tournament showcased 8 of the top 50 players in the world, including world #11 Chan Yan Kit from Hong Kong. Other top 50 players included Indonesia's Andre Kurniawan Tedjono with a world ranking of 17 and Lee Tsuen Seng from Malaysia ranked 22 in the world. Yip Pui Yin at number 22 in the world was the highest ranked player in the Women's Singles draw.
YONEX sponsored athletes Chai Chi Hung and Rosie Yu made the right decision to come out of retirement to play in this prestigious event, winning the Women's Doubles title in front of a sellout crowd against 3rd seeds Aparna Balan and Shrui Kurian from India.
