U.S. Open Badminton set to begin Wednesday in Anaheim

The biggest badminton competition in North or South America kicks off today in Anaheim.

The U.S. Open Badminton Championships will bring more than 230 of the top players from around the world to the Anaheim Convention Center for matches through Sunday.

Play starts with first-round men’s singles matches today. Women’s and doubles matches start Thursday.

The United States is represented by 31 players, including its top women’s competitor, Beiwen Zhang, who is ranked 10th in the world. USA Badminton moved its headquarters to Anaheim about two months ago.

Among the Orange County folks on Team USA are Howard Shu, a men’s singles player born in Los Alamitos who attended Canyon High in Anaheim; Jamie Subandhi, a women’s singles and mixed doubles player who grew up in Westminster; and Philip Chew, a men’s doubles player who hails from Orange.

There are more than 20 countries represented in the competition – Canada is the closest the American teams have to a rival, said USA Badminton Program Manager Ryan Berry.The U.S. Open is part of the Badminton World Federation’s Grand Prix Gold Series. Tickets to watch the competitions start at $10 general admission for the early rounds; the finals are $30 and there are all-weekend passes as well. 

SCHEDULE

Wednesday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Thursday: 9 a.m.–10 p.m.

Friday: Quarterfinals, 5-10 p.m.

Saturday: Semifinals, 1 p.m.

Sunday: Finals, 1 p.m.