Garden Grove Seeded Second in Badminton

Garden Grove, the defending Southern Section Division I badminton champion, on Monday was seeded second in the team playoffs, which begin next week.

The Argonauts (12-0), Garden Grove League champions, were seeded behind Almont League champion Alhambra (15-0), a semifinalist in last year’s tournament.

Villa Park (11-0), which lost to Garden Grove in last year’s final, was seeded third and could face the Argonauts in the semifinals if both teams advance through a rugged lower bracket.

Garden Grove could meet seventh-seeded Troy or Alhambra Keppel in the quarterfinals.

The Argonauts edged Troy, 10-9, in a match earlier this season. Keppel (13-3), which won seven titles in the 1990s, is led by Elie Wu, the top-seeded girls’ singles player.

“I’m a little surprised at the seedings,” Villa Park Coach Sherry Smith said. “But I don’t know anything about Alhambra.

“It’s disappointing, though, that the best teams in the county are all in the same bracket.”

The first round begins next Tuesday. Garden Grove hosts Cypress, an at-large entry, and Villa Park will host Redlands.

The finals will be May 30 at the Orange County Badminton Club in Orange.

There were few surprises in the individual brackets.

Villa Park’s Mai Mangkalakiri and Mike Chansawangpuvana, who were quarterfinalists in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open, are seeded No. 1 and are heavily favored to win their second consecutive section title.

Chansawangpuvana, a semifinalist last season in boys’ singles, is seeded second. Aaron Huyhn of Alhambra is seeded first. Mangkalakiri is seeded second in girls’ singles behind Wu.

In girls’ doubles, Khoalinh Luong and Le Phan of Garden Grove are top-seeded and Villa Park’s Lin Cai and Connie Hwang are No. 2.

Individual finals will be at the Orange County Badminton Club. Mixed doubles will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, and singles and doubles will start at 1 p.m. Saturday.