The anticipation of badminton fans worldwide reached its peak today as the draw for the Wang Lao Ji BWF World Championships 2013 took place in Guangzhou, China. In an exciting turn of events, the two leading contenders in Men’s Singles, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Lin Dan of China, were assigned to different halves of the draw. This ensures the possibility of a thrilling face-off between them in the final stages of the tournament.
Lee Chong Wei, currently ranked number one in the world, will face some formidable challenges on his path to the championship title. In the third round, he may encounter Wang Zhengming of China, followed by a potential semi-final clash with Du Pengyu, also from China. On the other hand, Lin Dan, a four-time World champion, could potentially meet Chen Long, the second seed from China, in the quarter-finals. However, Lin Dan must first navigate through his opening rounds against Sattawat Pongnairat of Thailand and possibly Kenichi Tago of Japan.
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Other players expected to make a significant impact in the championships include Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia, who recently secured his first Superseries victory in Singapore, and Marc Zwiebler of Germany. Both players find themselves in the same quarter of the draw as the current world number one.
The Women’s Singles category presents a more open and unpredictable competition. Li Xuerui of China, the top seed, and Wang Yihan, also of China and seeded second, occupy opposite ends of the draw. However, numerous players possess the potential to disrupt an all-China final. Wang Yihan, determined to defend her title, should be mindful of potential clashes with PV Sindhu of India or Aprilla Yuswandari of Indonesia in the third round. Li Xuerui, the Olympic champion, cannot afford to underestimate Lindaweni Fanetri of Indonesia in her third-round encounter. Other contenders such as Saina Nehwal of India, Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, Sung Ji Hyun of Korea, and Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand further contribute to the unpredictability of the Women’s Singles event.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Men’s Doubles:
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One pair to watch closely is the Indonesian duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, currently ranked sixth in the world. They have displayed remarkable form, winning the previous two Superseries tournaments and comfortably defeating top-ranked pairs. Ahsan and Setiawan find themselves in the same quarter of the draw as Lee Yong Dae and Ko Sung Hyun of Korea, who have suffered three finals defeats to the Indonesian pair this season. Another notable duo is Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan of China, the champions at All England and India Open. They should face a significant challenge in their expected third-round encounter against Angga Pratama and Ryan Agung Saputra of Indonesia.
Women’s Doubles:
China has established an outstanding record in Women’s Doubles at the World Championships, losing the gold medal only once since 1983. Top seeds and defending champions, Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli of China, are the favorites from the top half of the draw. The bottom half, however, promises a fierce competition between Olympic champions Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, and the duo of Ma Jin and Tang Jinhua. Other pairs who may influence the outcome include Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo of Japan, Bao Yixin and Zhong Qianxin of China, and Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark.
Mixed Doubles:
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Indonesia’s Liliyana Natsir, a former world champion, holds hopes for her second world title, this time partnering with Tontowi Ahmad. The Indonesian pair has been in excellent form, claiming victory in three out of the four Superseries tournaments they have participated in this year. They are expected to comfortably reach the semi-finals. Fourth seeds Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark also have a favorable path until the semi-finals, with their main rivals, Muhammad Rijal and Debby Susanto of Indonesia, potentially meeting them in the third round. The top two seeds, Xu Chen and Ma Jin, and Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, both representing China, remain strong contenders, as always.
For the full draw, please visit BWF’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bwfbadminton?fref=ts or the Draw Ceremony section of the BWF website at http://www.bwfbadminton.org/page.aspx?id=23535.
Tianhe Indoor Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China, will serve as the venue for the Wang Lao Ji BWF World Championships 2013 from August 5th to 11th.
Text by Dev Sukumar | Edwin Leung
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