Dates: Tue 4/8/2014 to Sun 4/13/2014 Category: Superseries Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium Prize money: USD 300,000 New Sponsor: OUE: http://www.singaporebadmintonopen.sg/ Tournament Software: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/s...9CED65-69B7-46B2-9D1D-10F84732B776&d=20140408 Past Winners: [TABLE="class: wikitable"] [TR] [TH]Year [/TH] [TH]Men's singles [/TH] [TH]Women's singles [/TH] [TH]Men's doubles [/TH] [TH]Women's doubles [/TH] [TH]Mixed doubles [/TH] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2013 [/TD] [TD] Tommy Sugiarto [/TD] [TD] Wang Yihan [/TD] [TD] Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan [/TD] [TD] Tian Qing Zhao Yunlei [/TD] [TD] Tontowi Ahmad Liliyana Natsir [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2012 [/TD] [TD] Boonsak Ponsana [/TD] [TD] Juliane Schenk [/TD] [TD] Markis Kido Hendra Setiawan [/TD] [TD] Bao Yixin Zhong Qianxin [/TD] [TD] Chen Hung-ling Cheng Wen-hsing [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Highlights: World No.1 Lee Chong Wei makes a return to the Singapore Open after many years absence. 2012 Olympic WS Champion Li Xuerui will also be competing! So will incumbent XD champions Tontowi Ahmad and Lilyana Natsir. And not forgetting World WS Champion Ratchanok Intanon!
MS Qualification Tues, 8 Apr 2014 The following is the draw, but it may not be updated as I thought Derek Wong of SIN has been upgraded to the main draw because of last-minute withdrawals: General Matches [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Round 1 [/TD] [TD]Round 2 [/TD] [TD]Round 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]1 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_0, bgcolor: transparent"][CHN] Huan Gao [1] [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]2 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_1, bgcolor: transparent"][MAS] Jiann Shiarng Chiang [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]3 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_2, bgcolor: transparent"][MAS] Zulfadli Zulkiffli [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_br"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]4 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_3, bgcolor: transparent"][THA] Thammasin Sitthikom [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]5 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_4, bgcolor: transparent"][IND] Sai Praneeth B. [3] [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]6 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_5, bgcolor: transparent"][MAS] Beng Hong Kuan [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]7 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_6, bgcolor: transparent"][HKG] Yan Kit Chan [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_br"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]8 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_7, bgcolor: transparent"][SIN] Robin Gonansa [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]9 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_8, bgcolor: transparent"][MAS] Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]10 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_9, bgcolor: transparent"][INA] . Siswanto [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]11 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_10, bgcolor: transparent"][SIN] Yong Zhao Ashton Chen [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_br"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]12 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_11, bgcolor: transparent"][MAS] Misbun Ramdan Mohmed Misbun [4] [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]13 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_12"][INA] Simon Santoso [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]14 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_13"][THA] Pannawit Thongnuam [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]15 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_14"][MAS] Chun Seang Tan [/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_br"][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]16 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_15"][SIN] Zi Liang Derek Wong [2] [/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] My pick is for Huan Gao and Simon Santoso to advance to the main draw, assuming Huan Gao has not been given the automatic passage as Derek Wong, which is unlikely. If 4 players allowed, then the other two will likely be Thammasin Sitthikom and Yan Kit Chan.
WS Qualification Now who will go to R1? Will the top two seeds advance as shown on paper? [TABLE] WS - Qualification[TR] [TD]Round 1 [/TD] [TD]Round 2 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]1 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_0, bgcolor: transparent"][MAS] Li Lian Yang [1] [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]2 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_1, bgcolor: transparent"][SWE] Matilda Petersen [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]3 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_2, bgcolor: transparent"][MAS] Lydia Li Ya Cheah [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]4 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_3, bgcolor: transparent"][CHN] Xin (F) Liu [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]5 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_4, bgcolor: transparent"][VIE] Thi Trang (B) Vu [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]6 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_5"][RUS] Anna Astrakhantseva [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]7 [/TD] [TD="class: line_b drawrulercell drc_6"][MAS] Sannatasah Saniru [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD="class: line_r"][/TD] [TD="class: line_b"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: line_b"]8 [/TD] [TD="class: line_br drawrulercell drc_7"][INA] Adrianti Firdasari [2] [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
Liu Xin withdrawn, allowing Lydia Cheah to be promoted to the main draw. The possibility of another all-CHN WS semifinals is thereby prevented, though I don't expect Han Li to overcome Intanon R in her quadrant. A good thing for WSX to be rested, her attrition-style of play not only drains her opponents but also herself. After the first 4 rounds of tough,grueling 3-setters last week before winning the final last week, it would be a bit of a stretch for her to do well here this week. In MS, anybody can be upset except the unstoppable LCW, the more so in the absence of Chen Long.
Three seeded players of MS discipline have withdrawn, Tago (2), Sugiarto (3) and Ponsana (4). Lee CW is overwhelming fave to regain MS crown once again that he won in 2008. Strong line-up in WS, except Wang SX all elite players are coming to Singapore, top two seed CHN shuttler Li XR and defending champion Wang YH will get challenge from Intanon, Sindhu, two KOR, etc. Chinese WS always ruling first podium in four SS that have been completed so far in this year, Yihan (KOR SS), Li XR (MAS SS) and Wang SX (AE, IND SS), who can stop their supremacy here? Interesting to wait...
The Qualification has started more than an hour ago. Poor Malaysia Open GPG MD champons, Danny Bawa and Chayut Triyachart had to qualify but they just won against MAS Haw Yong Yuan/Kong Keat Zhen 21-15, 21-15. Ashton Chen beat Huang Chao earlier 21-17, 21-13. Ashton will retire after this S'pore Open, what a shame for a young man. Huang has not been performing to expectation and he should buck up if he wants to advance further in the badminton world.
Derek Wong for MS is our best hope, but he hasn't won anything of significance yet. The most surprising "find" recently is the 'inactive' MD pair of Danny Bawa and Chayut Triyachart who was crowned the Malaysia Open GPG 2014 MD champons. XD pair of Danny Bawa and Vanessa Neo have been quite steady of late. Our most promising WS Gu Juan has just indicated she may quit due to injuries and lack of motivation. So, rather a depressing picture of the Singapore Badminton scene which just underwent an overhaul at the turn of this year.
With three big guns withdrawing from the MS, it opens the way for the young aspirants to show what they are made of. But the following remaining seeds are no easy prey: 5. Pengyu DU 6. Wan Ho SON 7. Tien Minh NGUYEN 8. Kento MOMOTA WS, on the other hand, will be hotly contested.
Yes, and they are top seeded. MD should create a lot of sparks! The MD seeds: 1 Mohammad AHSAN Hendra SETIAWAN 2 Hiroyuki ENDO Kenichi HAYAKAWA 3 Angga PRATAMA Ryan Agung SAPUTRA 4 Thien How HOON Wee Kiong TAN 5 Sa Rang KIM Yeon Seong YOO 6 Sheng Mu LEE Chia Hsin TSAI 7 Gideon Markus FERNALDI Markis KIDO 8 Takeshi KAMURA Keigo SONODA