Thursday, 21 Nov 2024

BWF News

The journey towards the Dubai World Superseries Finals 2015 continues with The Star Australian Open in Sydney. After a break of over a month, the fifth event in the 12-tournament MetLife BWF World Superseries circuit promises to deliver exhilarating badminton action. Not only is The Star Australian Open a part of the race for Olympic qualifying points, but it has also attracted top-notch players from around the world.

The Dubai World Superseries Finals is the grand finale of the year, where the top eight players or pairs in each category, based on their performance in the 12 BWF World Superseries tournaments, will be invited. With last year’s champions in Dubai, excluding Mixed Doubles pair Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei, entering the first round, anticipation is high.

The Men’s Singles competition holds the potential for a thrilling final battle between Lin Dan (China) and World champion Chen Long, given their clash in the Asian Games and the Malaysia Open Superseries Premier. However, the presence of other strong contenders in the mix makes it uncertain if the two Chinese players will meet in the final. Chen might face tough opponents such as Hu Yun (Hong Kong), Kento Momota (Japan), and Kidambi Srikanth (India), while Lin will have to overcome Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and fend off challenges from players like Korea’s Son Wan Ho and Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark.

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In Women’s Singles, Japan has fielded an impressive line-up of seven players, including Nozomi Okuhara, Akane Yamaguchi, Minatsu Mitani, Sayaka Sato, Sayaka Takahashi, Yui Hashimoto, and Kaori Imabeppu. China, too, relies on their talented Women’s Singles squad comprising Li Xuerui, Wang Yihan, Wang Shixian, and OUE Singapore Open winner Sun Yu. The draw also features World champion Carolina Marin (Spain), defending champion Saina Nehwal (India), Hong Kong Open winner Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Taipei), Commonwealth champion Michelle Li (Canada), and Asian champion Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand), promising an engrossing battle in this category.

The Men’s Doubles competition sees the return of World champions Ko Sung Hyun/Shin Baek Choel (Korea) for the first time this year. However, they face a tough challenge right from the start against No. 2 seeds Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia). Other pairs capable of derailing their path to the final include Korea’s Kim Gi Jung/Kim Sa Rang, last year’s runners-up Lee Sheng Mu/Tsai Chia Hsin (Chinese Taipei), and Japan’s Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda. Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, on a comeback trail, have also qualified and will face Japan’s Kamura/Sonoda in the first round.

In the Women’s Doubles category, Denmark’s top pairs, Christinna Pedersen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl, are back on track after resolving a sponsor conflict with their national federation. Seeded second, they have a good chance of making it to the semi-finals, where they could potentially face China’s Ma Jin/Tang Yuanting. China has an experimental pairing of Tian Qing/Tang Jinhua, while Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi (1), Netherlands’ Eefje Muskens/Selena Piek (8), and Indonesia’s Greysia Polii/Nitya Krishinda Maheswari (4) add to the competition.

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Defending Mixed Doubles champions Ko Sung Hyun/Kim Ha Na (Korea) face a tough opener against Kenichi Hayakawa/Misaki Matsutomo (Japan), while last year’s runners-up Michael Fuchs/Birgit Michels (Germany) could potentially meet Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christinna Pedersen in the second round. Europe also boasts several strong duos, including Chris Adcock/Gabrielle Adcock (England), Ronan Labar/Emilie Lefel (France), and Jacco Arends/Selena Piek (Netherlands). The wild card entry from Australia, Sawan Serasinghe/Setyana Mapasa, faces a challenging first-round match against the Adcocks.

The article also provides a list of qualifiers in each category for the tournament.

For more information, visit Carnegiecentre.com.