Who can make the step up from good to great to Gold?
Screenshot courtesy of SportsScene
Quarterfinal Showdowns
Kunlavut Vitidsarn and SHI Yuqi
Shi Yuqi’s journey to the final is fraught with peril. His side of the draw (Groups A-H) is stacked with rivals capable of derailing his campaign. There are so many standout players that the risk of mutual exhaustion as they battle each other for semifinal spots is real. To succeed, it’s crucial for competitors to focus on the next match, stay healthy, and keep pushing forward.
Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the current World Champion, has seen his form dip due to illness and injury. If he can overcome Kenta Nishimoto or Brian Yang, he is likely to face SYQ in the quarterfinals. Their head-to-head record favors Yuqi, especially considering his victory over Vitidsarn in March in the same arena. This sets up China to potentially have at least one player in the semifinals.
Anders Antonsen V LEE Zii Jia or Anthony Ginting
Anders Antonsen is a formidable contender, capable of outthinking and outperforming most of his rivals. The draw has been kind to him, as he only needs to play two matches in Group E before advancing to the quarterfinals. Assuming LEE Zii Jia tops Group G, he will likely face Anthony Ginting for a chance to challenge Antonsen in the QF for a semifinal spot. Ginting, an Olympic Bronze medalist, knows what it takes to perform under pressure. But,LEE Zii Jia is a dynamic player who could significantly influence the tournament’s outcome.
The battle for the quarterfinal and semifinal spots could mentally and physically exhaust these men. If LZJ finds his flow, he could beat SYQ for a final spot. So, who from the other side of the draw might he face?
Viktor Axelson and LI Shifeng
Viktor Axelsen, the defending champion, has been a major force in badminton for years. He has been careful to manage his mental and physical load over the past few months. Only time will tell if he has the fitness to reach the final. He will likely be wary of a potential quarterfinal clash against China’s LI Shifeng, a well-balanced player with strong support staff, including CHEN Long. The winner of this match will face a semifinalist from Groups I-L.
Group L: “The Group of Punishment”
Group L feels like an undeserved punishment. Jonatan Christie, seeded three, has to play three matches with no bye in the Round of 16, compared to Anders Antonsen, seeded four, who only plays two group matches and has a bye into the quarterfinals. This system needs reform as it’s unfairly loaded. Christie’s group includes Lakshya Sen and Kevin Cordon. If Sen hits his stride, his aggressive attack style makes him a significant threat for a medal. Cordon had a dream run in Tokyo but replicating that will be challenging. The draw likely leads to a Round of 16 match between Christie and Prannoy, followed by a quarterfinal with Naraoka. The Japanese athlete is brilliant at chasing lost causes, applying pressure and forcing wins. Prannoy or Christie could prevail, but they must preserve stamina so avoiding ridiculously prolonged group matches is key.
Top Takeaways.
The path to Gold will be full of intense battles with high stakes matches. Identifying the contenders amongst the pretenders is a tricky task especially in an atypical tournament. I think the title will go to a player in SHI Yuqi’s side of the draw so long as they don’t destroy each other on the journey to the final. SYQ is the favourite and the prospect of an all-China final is on the cards. In my opinion, Antonsen is the athlete who could disrupt this but I wouldn’t bet against LEE Zii Jia or Anthony Ginting. Stay tuned as the drama unfolds!
The stage is set for the thrills and skills of the highest standards. Get ready to watch your faves battle it out on court for one of the most respected titles in Badminton.
2JT4YGJ Tokyo, Japan. 28th Aug, 2022. (L to R) Mohammad AHSAN & Hendra SETIAWAN (INA), Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (MAS), (Top) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty (IND), (Bottom) Fajar ALFIAN & Muhammad Rian ARDIANTO (INA) Badminton : TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2022 Men’s Doubles Award Ceremony at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan . Credit: Naoki Morita/AFLO SPORT/Alamy Live News
Men’s Doubles
Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto seemed to cross a threshold in 2022; their performances at the beginning of the year were disappointing but they became more dominant and better at capturing big titles as the months went by. They attributed it to a happier mindset on court and a determination to relish their sport. They are the top seeds here but their opening tie is a potential banana skin. I can’t quite believe that they will be meeting Korea’s KANG Min Hyuk & SEO Seung Jae in the opening round. These two have started the year in good form with two SF plus a final at the German Open. If FajRi can overcome that challenge they should be pretty confident of a run deep into this tournament.
The bottom half of the draw is where there are countless roadblocks on the road to the final. The 2022 World Champions – Aaron CHIA and SOH Wooi Yik – are second seeds but they have a slightly brittle side that can surface at inconvenient times; for instance their underwhelming outing at the German Open. If they can keep their nerve and dominate the front court, then finals weekend awaits.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty have swerved a difficult R1 clash owing to the late withdrawal of The Minions. The Indian pair should have high hopes for this tournament. Their pacy intensity is exciting to watch as so long as they are prepared to vary their approach if this doesn’t work they can get past a lot of their rivals. I was very sorry to hear about the Kevin Sukamuljo’s withdrawal because of the effects of Dengue Fever. Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery.
LIU Yu Chen and OU Xuan Yi are a new pairing who have gelled almost instantly and are a hazard to every athlete with ambitions. It would be no surprise to see the World Tour Finals winners on the top of the podium at the end of the week. They are seeded 5 and could face Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan in a QF. Last year’s finalists are vulnerable to long rallies and to chronic injuries resurfacing and I expect all opponents will attempt to exploit this.
There’s plenty of star quality on show in Birmingham but no-one seems bulletproof this year. I’m intrigued to see the competition unfold and may the best men win!
Men’s Singles
There’s a somewhat chaotic energy in MS at the moment but with a serene Viktor Axelsen at the centre. His 2022 was stupendous with a win/loss record of 48-3. No-one gets those sorts of stats by accident; his competitive focus is second to none. For all that, his defeats in 2022 came from 3 different players (Sen, LOH Kean Yew, & H S Prannoy) and he recently lost the India Open final to Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Paradoxically it is more interesting to consider his defeats than his relentless success. Viktor is human after all. So, who can find a chink in his armour at the All England?
The top half of the draw is interesting because it contains the 3 men who beat him in 2022, unfortunately not one after the other. His main danger will come from either the third seed Anthony Ginting or fifth seed CHOU Tien Chen either of who could meet him at the semi final stage. Ginting has hauled himself out of his post-Olympic slump quite well although his games against Axelsen are frustrating because he doesn’t seem able to change a losing game plan. I hope he and his coaches have had a look at Prannoy’s game or Kodai Naraoka‘s ‘never say die’ approach as I think there are plenty of clues there to construct a realistic Plan B.
In the bottom half of the draw LEE Zii Jia is 4th seed and a long way from serenity. There is a lot of pressure on him to succeed in every tournament – some self-inflicted – and his frustration at near misses is obvious. He is a fantastic player who has won here before and can win again. He needs a settled environment where he can simplify his distractions and concentrate on being brilliant. I really wish him well in realizing his potential.
Kunlavut Vitidsarn meets Kento Momota in R1. It’s hard to judge where KM is in his comeback. He showed some improvements in the early stages of the recent German open but was absolutely demolished by LI Shi Feng in the SF. Kunlavut’s win over Axelsen in the final of the Indian Open confirmed that he is on the rise. SHI Yu Qui is also in this part of the draw but he was remarkably sluggish in his recent game in Germany. Hopefully he was just conserving energy for Birmingham because at his best he is a threat to everyone.
Can Jonatan Christie raise the trophy on finals day? In the past he has shown no fear of marathon games, that being so, he could construct a scheme to challenge Viktor. In their semi-final at the recent India Open he didn’t really trouble the Dane; he’s going to have to bring a lot more to the court if his ambition is to be satisfied.
It’s well known that it’s very hard to retain a title in sport. Even so, it’s easy for us spectators to predict that Viktor will keep his hands on the All England trophy this year. His invincibility has been breached recently and yet who will do it in Birmingham?
The year’s end means I can assemble some of my favourite memories of 2022 and reflect on the dramas that have unfolded on court. The passion and commitment of the players has given us plenty of highs and lows to enjoy and/or endure.
Men’s Doubles
This sector has yielded a lot of the big stories this year; one of the most joyous has been AaronChia & SOH Wooi Yik clinching the World Championship in August. There had been occasions in 2022 when they seemed powerless to force the big wins but this time, they grabbed their chance with intelligence and desire. In the preliminary stages of the match, it seemed certain they were heading for silver as they could not equal Ahsan & Setiawan’s tempo. Their change of tactics and success at prolonging the rallies whilst probing their opponent’s defences was decisive and they triumphed in straight sets. Astonishingly the first players from Malaysia to win Gold at the World Championships. A standout achievement.
2JT4YAT Tokyo, Japan. 28th Aug, 2022. Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (MAS) Badminton : TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2022 Men’s Doubles Final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan . Credit: Naoki Morita/AFLO SPORT/Alamy Live News
The winners of the BWF Most Improved Players of the Year are also the new World #1 pair: Fajar Alfian & Muhammad Rian Ardianto. Their partnership this year has been getting better and better and yielded 4 titles (SO, IM, MM, DO). Gideon and Sukamuljo will be focusing on regaining their competitive edge after a tricky year disrupted by injury. One of the shocks of the year was Fikri and Maulana’s victory at the All-England. Out of nowhere, they were unstoppable. I watched most of their games at the arena in Birmingham and I loved the way they rode their momentum to the final.
The new pairing of LIU Yu Chen with OU Xuan Yi looks full of potential. I think that the Chinese coaches can mould these two into an extremely dangerous unit on the road to the Paris Olympics. Their World Tour Finals success was a little unexpected; there were times when OU was nervy, however we can expect to see them on the podium more in 2023.
Rankireddy & Shetty can look back on 2022 with satisfaction at their achievements. They played a significant part in the Thomas Cup win against Indonesia. Their defeat of Kevin and Ahsan was an immense psychological boost to their teammates and a grave blow to their opponent’s ambitions. Commonwealth Gold, plus the French and India Open titles all add to an impressive year.
Women’s Singles
This year has all been about Akane Yamaguchi and her bounce back from a disappointing Olympics. Her play has been outstanding. She is indefatigable on court with a speed of movement and thought that is hard to equal. Her award of BWF Player of the Year is a well-deserved accolade for an athlete who makes no secret of the fact that she plays because she enjoys the game. Korea’s AN Se Young enjoyed an 80%-win rate in 2022 (Stats courtesy of twitter account @Statminton). Although she won three individual trophies, I think the magnificent Korean triumph over China in the Uber cup will be a memory she will cherish over the years. I frequently debate her style of play and whether she is resilient enough to be a ‘pure’ retriever because she often seems to suffer from cramp towards the end of a tournament. Eventually, she may consider a more blended approach; as a young player she was more attack-minded and this may be the solution to the physical demands of tournament success. Her 90-minute marathon against CHEN YuFei in the final of the Uber Cup was astonishing but did end in defeat.
Women’s singles continue to be the most competitive sector. CHEN YuFei did not dominate 2022 (1 title) and in fact her compatriot – HE Bing Jiao – has had a more notable year ending a long trophy drought and cultivating a winning habit. TAI Tzu Ying ended the year second in the world rankings and a consistent presence on the podium with the best win rate amongst her peers (82%). Her musings about retirement have gone to the back burner for a while although chronic injuries do seem to resurface once she goes deep into a tournament. All her fans have their fingers crossed that she can continue to compete at this level for the near future.
Women’s Doubles
Indisputably the world #1 pair CHEN Qing Chen and JIA Yi Fan are still the players to beat in any tournament. Once they get into their rhythm, they are hard to keep at bay; I love their merciless drive for victory, and they will surely dominate podiums again over the next twelve months.
However, this is the sector experiencing the biggest generational shift. 2023 will be a crucial year for the up-and-coming pairs to hone their skills. Apriyani Rahayu’s new partnership with Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti is already looking menacing; there is still work to do to develop that intuitive understanding that is at the heart of all successful pairs, but they could be serious contenders in Paris 2024 if they stay fit and keep working. Pearly Tan & Thinaah Muralitharan – current world ranking 9 – are another couple whose aggressive style is helping to ring the changes in WD. Their victory at the French Open plus Commonwealth Gold only hints at what they could achieve over the next couple of years. The other pair who have caught my eye recently are the Aimsaard sisters representing Thailand. They performed well at their first WTF and should be looking forward to the challenges ahead with confidence.
After the end of the Olympic cycle the Japanese – except for Shida/Matsuyama who are good at winning S1000 titles – are not so dominant in the rankings. Korea has three pairs in the top ten and so we’ll watch with interest to see who can really challenge the Chinese #1.
Men’s Singles
Viktor Axelsen has been incredible in 2022 and deserves all his success. His invincible aura has only been pricked three times this year: the defeats to LOH Kean Yew, Lakshya Sen and H S Prannoy were rare blips in his dominance of his sector. It seemed to me that the only disappointment that hurt him was Denmark’s loss in the Thomas Cup; I am sure he longs for a Gold team medal.
The million-dollar question is “Can he sustain these levels of success?” because the focus for the rest of the athletes in Men’s Singles must be to discover the chinks in his armour and to find ways to stifle Axelsen’s natural game. LOH Kean Yew is quicksilver fast so if the shuttles are flying fast, he gives Viktor serious problems. Prannoy’s strategy was to reduce Viktor’s chances to use his height advantage, try to control the net and just a refusal to concede however dire his situation.
LEE Zii Jia has had a year full of upheaval not to mention some minor injuries. A more tranquil, settled team around him must be the aspiration for 2023. He has all the talent to challenge the best but he must find that extra 5% from somewhere that will strengthen his resilience and help to seize wins in tight games. He lost in the final of the Denmark Open to SHI Yuqi and that win for the returning Chinese maestro gladdened many hearts. Not because anyone wanted LZJ to lose but because SYQ is a brilliant talent who will enrich the sector. Anthony Ginting’s year ended better than it started although it is time he unveiled a Plan B for those games against Axelsen. Lastly Kento Momota has fallen out of the ranking top ten; his long painful slump after the car accident in Malaysia is proving tough to break out of. His recent All Japan triumph is a glint of light, but it remains to be seen if he can use this as a springboard into the new year.
Mixed Doubles
After the dream team of ZHENG Si Wei and HUANG Ya Qiong were split up to a background shriek of disbelief and horror from their fans there was a strange limbo period. Happily, they reassembled in time for the Badminton Asia Championships and have gone on to exert total dominance of mixed doubles. It is arguable that HYQ should have won the BWF Female Player of the Year because that was the first of ten titles in 2022. HYQ’s brief liaison with OU Xian Yi was not bad and I am glad he seems to have found his forever home with LIU in MD, but it is painful to consider what the world of badminton nearly lost.
Conclusions
There have been some epic games, plenty of shocks and lots of talking points. Raking over the ashes of the old year is always interesting, but now we can anticipate 2023. I can’t wait to see who will win the titles on finals day at the Malaysia Open. Lets hope for brilliant play, some surprises and maybe a home winner.
Thanks to all my friends on Twitter who have swapped ideas and opinions with me the last year. A special mention to @Statminton for letting me use their figures in this article.
Men’s Singles is dominated by the majestic Momota; as the tour exchanges Denmark for France we can expect him to overshadow his side of the draw, but aside from him there are stacks of other athletes who could triumph at this competition if they can find consistency alongside skill. The men’s tournament will be full of explosive power, dazzling speed and brilliant shots.
Kento Momota: Unbeatable?
Will anyone ask the imperious Momota a question he cannot answer on court in Paris? This phenomenal player has brushed aside all challenges this year; it’s hard to identify any weakness. This puzzle is intriguing. Other players have better smashes, better endurance and more delicate net play but no other athlete can match his mental strength, consistency and his all round game. He is criticised for being too passive at times but it gets results so he doesn’t have to apologise for that! Often I think he plays at a constant pace (albeit fast) so it would be intriguing if a rival took a more stop/start approach to a match with him to see if it would disrupt his concentration. Prediction: Final (of course).
Antony Ginting: Seeded 8
Ginting is such a wonderful and exasperating player to follow. He’s more of an artist than the majority of the men’s players, his touch and technical skill is a joy to watch. I genuinely feel he could challenge Momota if only he could be more consistent. Crashing out in R1 of the Danish Open is simply unacceptable and yet it was unsurprising. He could meet Momota in the QF and so my prediction is QF exit, probably without his opponents sweaty shirt this time.
One of the best loved players on the circuit, Viktor’s year has been disrupted by injury and his susceptibility to summer allergies. However his performance in his home town of Odense at the Denmark Open saw him returning to his best. Although he lost in the SF to CHEN Long he played well: his smashes were fast and steep, his net shots were intelligent and delicate – it was a close match. He is returning to his best form. The road to the final is a tough one at the bottom half of the draw to include CHOU Tien Chen and Anders Antonsen. Prediction Final. Maybe.
CHOU Tien Chen: The OTHER Great Player From Taiwan
Seeded 2 he has a demanding path to the final but he is a fierce and strong competitor with a great smash. When he won the Indonesian Open against Antonsen he was able to control the net and keep the pressure on without being particularly spectacular in his play. The remarkable thing was his endurance and willingness to give everything for the title. To beat the #1 seed he will have to bring a bit more to the party. Prediction SF.
Clip courtesy of the BWF
CHEN Long: The Defending Champion
CHEN Long’s struggles with motivation since winning Olympic Gold in Rio are well-documented. However, I think this is probably his only weakness. He has the might of the Chinese coaching gang behind him, and a great all-round game where he is able to control the net to force points. His victory over Viktor in Odense seemed to be because he stuck with it, kept the shuttle in play, kept body smashing and seemed able to turn the screw at the last few points of every game. It’s a simple enough strategy that proved to be effective. Prediction SF
Anders Antonsen
Antonsen’s results have been on an upward trajectory over the last few months, he’s aggressive, fast and agile around the court. He was the beaten finalist at the Indonesian Open (to CHOU Tien Chen), the World Championship Final (to Momota) and beaten semi-finalist at the Denmark Open (to Axelsen). There’s no doubt he is a rising star of the men’s game but his physical prowess can be matched by the other seeds so he has to ensure he brings something more to his matches; more strategy and deception allied to his brute power. Prediction QF
Jonatan Christie
If Indonesia is going to win titles in the singles sector then Jojo should be a player who steps up alongside Ginting. Just like Ginting his form ebbs and flows to frustrate his millions of supporters. He’s capable of beating any player in the top ten – including Momota – he needs to exploit his emotions and focus the passion to benefit his superb skills. He could face a double Dane onslaught with possible Antonsen QF and then Axelsen SF: it’s a lot to ask for him to reach the final of this one. Prediction SF.
In Conclusion
Often I seen MS in terms of who, if anyone, is going to upset Momota? Realistically it’s hard to see beyond him. Shi Yuqi is expected to be absent owing to his continued recuperation from ankle injury. If only Ginting or Christie could borrow some of the Minions reliable form then the men’s side of singles could be as open and unpredictable as the womens game. As it is, Momota is in magnificent form, no one is able to unsettle his composure. It looks like this is another tournament waiting for him to win.
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Women's Badminton 