The final chase for national badminton ranking points begins today as the cream of the crop and rising stars slug it out in the P1 million VP Binay Grand Prix Badminton Open championships-PBaRS fourth leg at Powersmash in Makati.

They are all here – from current frontrunners Toby Gadi and Gelita Castilo (Open singles), to Joper Escueta and Bianca Carlos (Under-19), to Markie Alcala and Joella de Vera (Under-15), ready to take on the challenge of their respective rivals in pursuit of spots in the national badminton hierarchy.

Cash prizes are also up for grabs in the week-long event co-presented by MVP Sports Foundation and Robinsons Land – the culmination of a four-leg nationwide circuit that ranks players according to their strength and performance.

Hostilities fire off at 9 a.m. with the elims in the 128-player boys’ U-19 singles where a dogfight for No. 1 looms between Escueta and Wilbert Natividad with just 30 points separating them. Escueta has pooled 15,252 points on victories in the first two legs and a fifth-place effort in the Davao stage ruled to close in with 15,222.

Carlos, 16, is a cinch in the ladies side after sweeping the first three legs of he circuit put up by Vice President and Philippine Badminton Association president Jejomar Binay, Rep. Albee Benitez and businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan to develop world class players. The Golden Shuttle Foundation mainstay is also in the hunt in the women’s Open singles with 14,352 points, trailing another GSF bet Gelita Castilo, who assembled 16,200 on a key victory in Davao.

But Castilo is all-primed up for another win by winning the rookie of the year plum in the UAAP although she remains wary of her chances with a slew of talented players out to foil her bid, including Danica Bolos, Grace Lim, Danica San Ignacio, Janelle de Vera and the fancied Malvinne Alcala.

“I can’t say that I can win again because there are so many strong players but I’ll try my very best. I’ll just leave it all to God,” said Castilo, who trains twice-a-week in between studies at Ateneo.

Alcala, 16, looms as Castilo and Carlos top rival with the reigning Singapore and Australian Juniors champion, who didn’t see action in the first and third legs, out to score a repeat of her romp in Bacolod’s second leg of the tournament sponsored by PLDT Smart Foundation, Robinsons Mall, Gatorade and official equipment sponsor Victor, exclusively distributed by PCOME Industrial Sales, Inc.

Also on tap in the opener are matches in the girls U-19 singles, U-15 singles in both boys and girls and the men’s Open singles in the afternoon. The qualifiers will be held till Wednesday with the quarterfinals, semifinals and the finals slated at Philsports Arena in Pasig, according to PBaRS tournament director Nelson Asuncion.