The Boston Open is an annual badminton tournament held in Cambridge, Massachusetts just across the Charles River from Boston. It has become the leading regularly held tournament in the Eastern United States.
The Boston Open was established in 1997 as regional tournament for Northeastern players, the first significant open badminton tournament in Massachusetts since the earlier New England Open which had been played from the mid 1930s to the late 1980s. When the tournament was created, the Rockwell Cage at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts was chosen as the location for the tournament. The Rockwell Cage is an athletic facility at MIT, and home of the university's basketball and volleyball teams.[1] The Boston Open has been held there ever since. Over time the tournament began to develop and gain popularity. It would soon become one of the top tournaments in North America, attracting badminton players from around the world.
In order to operate the Boston Open relies upon aid from sponsors. The MIT Badminton Club has been the primary sponsor for the Boston Open since 1997. The club works hard every year to make sure the tournament runs smoothly. The MIT Badminton Club is partially responsible for getting the Boston Open to where it is today. In 2014 adidas became the official named sponsor of the tournament, helping the Boston Open gain even more recognition and further prove its significance.[2] With the new sponsorship from adidas in 2014, the Boston Open was able to increase their total tournament prize money to $22,150.
Howard Bach is a professional Vietnamese-American badminton player. He annually partakes in the Boston Open and has managed to win the championship for the men's doubles twice. Howard Bach is also one of the few American badminton players to participate in the Olympics.[3]
| Year | Men's singles | Women's singles | Men's doubles | Women's doubles | Mixed doubles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Wu Chibing | Vivian Tam | Tomasz Malcharek Wu Chibing | Charlotte Ackerman Liz Wilson | Wu Chibing Alison Brown | |
| 1998 | Tracey Thompson | Andy Chong Kington Hooi | Daphne Chang Ulrike Von Pfaler | Andy Chong Emily Noyes | ||
| 1999 | Melinda Keszthelyi | Evgenij Dremin Alexey Vasiliev | Mai-Quyen Bui Melinda Keszthelyi | Andy Chong Melinda Keszthelyi | ||
| 2000 | Stuart Arthur | Elie Wu | Chantale Bergeron Nancy Desaulniers | Alexey Vasiliev Anna Efremova | ||
| 2001 | Mike Beres | Kara Solmundson | Trisna Gunadi Ben Wu | Janis Tan Elie Wu | Mike Beres Kara Solmundson | |
| 2002 | Chibing Wu | Elie Wu | Tony Gunawan Khan Malaythong | Andy Chong Szilvia Szombati | ||
| 2003 | Jimmy Pohan | Joo Hyun Lee | Andy Chong Chibing Wu | Cindy Shi Eti Tantra | Tony Gunawan Eti Tantra | |
| 2004 | Jackaphan Thanateeratam | Lili Zhou | Khan Malaythong Raju Rai | Valerie Loker Valérie St. Jacques | Jackaphan Thanateeratam Lili Zhou | |
| 2005 | Piotr Mazur | Pascal Gagnon Tom Lucas-Piche | Valérie St. Jacques Lili Zhou | Andy Chong Szilvia Szombati | ||
| 2006 | Raju Rai | Howard Bach Khan Malaythong | Eva Lee Mesinee Mangkalakiri | Halim Haryanto Angeline de Pauw | ||
| 2007 | Mike Beres | Joo Hyun Lee | Halim Haryanto Khan Malaythong | Angeline de Pauw Mona Santoso | Chandra Kowi Mona Santoso | |
| 2008 | Holvy de Pauw | Howard Bach Khan Malaythong | Joo Hyun Lee Mona Santoso | |||
| 2009 | Hock Lai Lee | Mona Santoso | Sameera Gunatileka Vincent Nguy | |||
| 2010 | Nguyen Quang Minh | Bo Rong | Holvy de Pauw Nguyen Quang Minh | Joo Hyun Lee Grace Peng | Holvy de Pauw Grace Peng | |
| 2011 | Ilian Perez | Cheng Wen | Cheng Wen Shi Xiaoqian | Nguyen Quang Minh Yee Theng Lim | ||
| 2012 | Beiwen Zhang | Nicole Grether Charmaine Reid | Halim Haryanto Bo Rong | |||
| 2013 | Sattawat Pongnairat | Holvy de Pauw Christian Christianto | Holvy de Pauw Eva Lee | |||
| 2014 | Hock Lai Lee | Howard Bach Hock Lai Lee | Beiwen Zhang Jing Yu Hong | Howard Bach Eva Lee | ||
| 2015 | Charles Gu | Howard Bach Beiwen Zhang | ||||
| 2016 | Chan Kwong Beng | Charles Gu Halim Haryanto | Yoo Yong-sung Daphne Ng | |||
| 2017 | Howard Bach Holvy de Pauw | Yoo Yong-sung Jenna Gozali | ||||
| 2018 | Ye Binghong | Ow Yao Han Yew Hong Kheng | Sutichon Pol-Gul Natcha Saengchote | |||
| 2019 | Febriyan Irvannaldy | Megumi Taruno | Arya Maulana Aldiartama Rangga Yave Rianto | Megumi Taruno Natcha Saengchote | Sittichai Viboonsin Natcha Saengchote |
| Year | Men's doubles | Women's doubles | Mixed doubles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Pratap Joshi / Ravi Raveendran | Batool Kazim / Mette Ravn | Naruthum Surakkhaka / Daphne Chang | |
| 2009 | Pratap Joshi / Anirudh Makarla | Batool Kazim / Ismat Shaikh | Phu Khuu / Daphne Chang |
| Event[4] | Winner | Runner Up | Semi-Finalists | Cons. Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Singles | $1,700 | $850 | $350 each player | $100 | |
| Ladies Singles | $1,700 | $850 | $350 each player | $100 | |
| Men's Doubles | $1,200 each player | $600 each player | $225 each player | $100 each player | |
| Ladies Doubles | $1,200 each player | $600 each player | $225 each player | $100 each player | |
| Mixed Doubles | $1,200 each player | $600 each player | $225 each player | $100 each player | |
| Senior Men's Doubles | $150 each player | $75 each player | |||
| Senior Ladies Doubles | $150 each player | $75 each player | |||
| Senior Mixed Doubles | $150 each player | $75 each player |