KUALA LUMPUR: Both of Malaysia’s national doubles teams are expected to face a tough time at the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, that will take place from Wednesday (Dec 13) to Sunday (Dec 17).
The draw for players that was broadcast live on the BWF Youtube channel resulted in Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik being placed in Group A with two Chinese pairs, world number one pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang and Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuan Yi (world no 8), along with Japanese Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (world no 7).
Meanwhile, national mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were drawn in Group A together with world no 2 pair Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino of Japan, Chinese Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping (world no 4) and Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh- Sapsiree Taerattanachai (world no 5).
Only the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinal stage of the tournament, which offers a total prize money of US$2.5 million.
Malaysia does not have a representative in the men’s singles, women’s singles and women’s doubles this season after the national players failed to be in the top eight of the Race to 2023 BWF World Tour Finals.
Men’s singles:
Group A: Kodai Naraoka (JPN), Shi Yu Qi (CHN), Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA), Viktor Axelsen (DEN)
Group B: Jonatan Christie (INA), Li Shi Feng (CHN), Anders Antonsen (DEN), Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA)
Women’s singles:
Group A: An Se Young (KOR), Tai Tzu Ying (TPE), Kim Ga Eun (KOR), Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (INA)
Group B: Chen Yu Fei (CHN), Carolina Marin (ESP), Han Yue (CHN), Beiwen Zhang (USA)
Men’s doubles:
Group A: Liang Weikeng- Wang Chang (CHN), AARON-WOOI YIK (MAS), Liu Yu Chen- Ou Xuan Yi (CHN), Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (JPN)
Group B: Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA), Kang Min Hyuk-Seo Seung Jae (KOR), Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (DEN), Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana (INA)
Women’s doubles:
Group A: Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan (CHN), Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara (JPN), Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti (INA), Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning (CHN)
Group B: Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee (KOR), Nami Matsuyama -Chiharu Shida (JPN), Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai (THA), Kim So Yeong-Kong Hee Yong (KOR)
Mixed doubles:
Group A: Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping (CHN), Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino (JPN), TANG JIE- EE WEI (MAS) Dechapol Puavaranukroh -Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA)
Group B: Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong (CHN), Seo Seung Jae-Chae Yu Jung (KOR), Kim Won Ho-Jeong Na Eun (KOR), Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (HKG). – BERNAMA
