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 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.
Momota has been the dominant force in Men’s Singles all through 2019, his consistency and strength are second to none. It’s no surprise then, that after such an electrifying twelve months, his position as World #1 is very firmly fixed. King Kento triumphed over Viktor Axelson in the course of 3 dramatic games at the 2019 Yonex All England Championships and in doing so became the first Japanese man to win the title. His outstanding year earned him a total of 11 titles; it’s extraordinary to reflect that he has played in 73 matches and only lost 6. It’s hard to pinpoint who will challenge this relentless excellence anytime soon.
The key to the left-hander’s success is his domination of the net and the forecourt which allows him to control the progress of the duel. He is so fit he dictates the tempo of the contest. He is brilliant at game management because he is strategically quick witted – this allows anticipation to be a significant part of his armoury. If he misjudges his opponent’s tactics, he is electric around the court; his fast feet and lovely balance allow him to reach any area. This translates into further pressure for his opponent as they search for undefended space. As we would expect from an elite player, technically he is very accomplished with powerful and precise shots. The knack of swiftly spinning defence into attack rushes his rivals and means he can gain more time for himself.
His superb all-round game is underpinned by his athleticism. Lean and tall, his muscle to weight ratio gives him the perfect physique for badminton. It’s well known that he completes additional work in the gym long after his hitting partners have showered and returned home. A day off is a distraction from the training regime he is immersed in. He is driving himself to find that extra percentage point of fitness that can make the difference between triumph and defeat at the top level of sport. Winning a singles match over three games can become a war of attrition; perpetual movement is all. We have all seen collapses from cramp as players push themselves into their red zone. Once an opponent starts to falter physically Momota will ruthlessly force the issue and gain an inevitable win.
It’s been said that he can sometimes sit back and be too passive, it’s true that he can be patient but when the time is right, he explodes into action and will seize the match. Choosing shots to keep a rival off balance – even a simple sequence to move them around the corners – means that sooner or later the opportunity will open up to win the rally; it doesn’t seem to matter to the left-hander if the rally lasts 30,40, or 50 shots, inevitably his opponent ends up running further, becoming tired and making a mistake. He knows that opponents’ errors cost will them the match; being patient is – paradoxically – a sharp sword in his strategic make up. He often does not need to use his full repertoire; through a competition he can perform within himself and get a good result.
Playing against Momota is like becoming trapped in a maze; whichever tactics are employed they seem to lead to the dead end of defeat. He is impenetrable. Alone on the court with no partner to protect him he has to be emotionally self-reliant and confident in his own decisions. Defensively he can soak up pressure endlessly without using up too much energy. Victory in men’s singles often rests upon stamina, mental strength, and the sparing use of explosive power to punish mistakes.
Right now, he is getting further and further out of the reach of his rivals. His opponent at the Yonex All England 2019 final – Viktor Axelsen – has subsequently had an injury disrupted year and is only just starting to compete again at a good level. The Dane is famous for his 400 kph smash but this isn’t enough against Momota. In fact, the energy used for a smash can often contribute to defeat. CHOU Tien Chen, the world #2, has endurance and mental fortitude to equal him and will always ask tough questions in a match. The adorable SHI Yuqui – the 2018 YAE champion – has also suffered from injury problems, but if he was fully fit it is arguable that he would be the player to upset the World #1. In their Sudirman Cup match this year it was Momota who succumbed to accuracy, relentless athleticism and an unmatchable will to win.
I think his most interesting rival is Anthony Ginting despite what the world rankings say. Ginting’s sparkling style, his inventiveness, courage and speed push Momota to new heights. They inspire each other but it seems that this inspiration feeds the Japanese’s ambition and leaves Anthony unrewarded.
At the moment he is unstoppable. Over the years his career has taken a lot of twists and turns – including an enforced absence from Rio 2016 – but now it feels as though his time for greatness is approaching. His desire for success, his realisation that the Tokyo Olympics offers the chance of immortality, and possibly a need to make up for his mistakes in the past all give an irresistible vitality to his performances on court. The devastating effect that C-19 has had on the world means that all athletes are enduring a career hiatus. I’m confident that Momota has the mental strength to endure this delay. 2020 was the year his fans regarded with the highest expectations – so now we wait a little longer. Will 2021 be the year that Kento Momota cements his place amongst the legends of the game?
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Women's Badminton 