Fresh from her success at last weekend's Leinster Open, Sonya McGinn will hope to maintain her form at the National Badminton Championships, which get under way in Lisburn this morning.

McGinn, who was forced to withdraw from last year's semi-final with a knee injury, is seeded one in the singles event, ahead of Elaine Kiely, the 1996 champion who lost her title to Keelin Fox last year. Bruce Topping is favourite in the men's event, where he is seeded to meet fellow Ulster player and defending champion Michael Watt in tomorrow's final. Topping will team up with his international partner, Michael O'Meara, in the men's doubles, where Mark Peard and Donie O'Halloran are top seeds.

Four top-quality partnerships will contest the women's doubles' competition: Claire Henderson and Jayne Plunkett are seeded one, but they will have to overcome the challenge of the pair who beat them in last year's final, Kiely and Caroline O'Sullivan, while in the other half of the draw McGinn and Fox are scheduled to meet Angela Carr and Annette Taylor in the semi-finals.