There are still two days to go before the start of the Malaysia Open Badminton Championships, and the first stop of the new season is such a hot event as the Super 1000 event. The venue of the competition is at the Atong Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. The total prize fund is $1.3 million.
With just a few months to go until the end of the Paris Olympic points competition, the Parisian badminton stars will have to go all out against the 1,000 tournaments with the highest number of points in the first point of the new season.
In the first round of the first event of the new season, there are ten highlights:
Aspect 1: Can Axelsen pass Luo Jianyou
Don't underestimate Singapore's handsome Loh Kean Yew, who is one of the few men who has beaten the world's No. 1 men's singles player twice during his peak career.
The 2024 Malaysia Open Badminton Championships will start on January 9, and the first round of Anceron will face Loh Kean Yew, after the two sides met 9 times, Axelsen 7:2 Loh Kean Yew.
Because it is the first game of the Olympic season, it is also very likely to be a weather vane, which can see whether Axelsen can continue the invincible form of previous years. If so, there would be no one else to win the Olympic Games. If there are more and more opponents who can beat Axelsen in the new season, it will be difficult to say who the Olympic champion will be.
Interestingly, former Malaysian star Sidi Brothers recently said that he is not optimistic about Axelsen's performance in the 2024 season, although in the previous Malaysia Open Badminton Championships, Axelsen won two consecutive championships, which shows his strength. But now that the men's singles battlefield is full of champions, Axelsen is no longer invincible in the 2023 season, and due to last year's intensive schedule and injuries, the Sidi brothers believe that Axelsen's road to a triple title is very variable. He believes that Axelsen is not necessarily the favourite, and that there is a possibility that the men's singles will produce a new champion. From the first round, it will be difficult for Axelsen to beat Luo Jianyou, and the opponents in the subsequent rounds are very strong, because it is a key competition for Olympic points, every player will work hard, and it will be very difficult for Axelsen to defend his title. On the contrary, he is very optimistic about China's Li Shifeng and Shi Yuqi, Japan's Kodai Naraoka, and Thailand's Kunlavut.
Lee Chong Wei has won the tournament 12 times, including seven in a row from 2008 to 2014. Lee Chong Wei will appear as a guest at the Malaysia Open Badminton Championships 2024.
Aspect 2: Can Antonsen beat Prannoy
Antonsen has been on a strong streak lately, participating in the year-end finals and performing well, with Antonsen facing India's Prannoy in the first round of the men's singles. Judging from the previous head-to-head record, Antonsen fell behind 0-2 and did not win against Putianwang.
In this sub-strong dialogue, whether Antonsen can stop the losing streak and who will play in the first round is also a highlight.
看点3：陆光祖能否再胜李梓嘉
Since Lee Chong Wei's last gold medal in 2018, no Malaysian has been able to make it to the top of the tournament on home soil.
In fact, there is always a lot of pressure on the home game, which is why Malaysian celebrities are not optimistic about the performance of Li Zijia and Huang Zhiyong in Magong.
In the first round, a big battle with close strength was staged, and Lu Guangzu faced Li Zijia. Judging from the past encounters, Li Zijia vs Lu Guangzu H2H: 4-1. Lu Guangzu has only won once, and that was in the 2022 match where he qualified for the year-end finals. Hopefully, Azu can win again and advance to the round of 16.
Aspect 4: Can Shi Yuqi continue his hot state
Who can break through from this quarter-up to the top four? There are many strong players in this small half-zone, among which there are two Chinese players, and Shi Yuqi is the most promising. Shi Yuqi just won Axelsen in the group stage of the '23 finals and performed quite well.
In the first round, Shi Yuqi will face Axelsen's relative Jemke, who has a 4-1 record and most recently won 21-11, 16-21, 21-16 at last year's China Open. Jemke is not a very good player. Hopefully, the stones will continue to have the advantage over Jemke.
Aspect 5: Can Weng Hongyang remain stable
Weng Hongyang, who had a fluctuating performance last year, actually had a high ceiling and was able to win seemingly impossible games. However, because of the instability of the state, the lower limit is also low, and sometimes there are inexplicable losses.
In the first round, the former printer Weng Hongyang played against the very powerful Indian star Lakshya, and the two sides won twice in the past, but they have not met in the past 4 years.
This time, the first round of the 2024 Malaysia Open Badminton Championships is a big battle, and whether Weng Hongyang can defeat Lakshya to advance to the round of 16 is a big attraction.
Aspect 6: Can Li Shifeng quickly get back into shape
Judging from the competition at the end of 23, Li Shifeng's performance was not satisfactory. Although there have been All England and Asian Games champions throughout the year, Li Shifeng's performance is objectively not stable enough.
In the first round, Li Shifeng met Ziko, who had won once each, and the most recent meeting was at the 2022 Australian Open, where Li Shifeng won 14-21, 21-17, 21-8.
It will also be interesting to see whether Li Shifeng can defeat Ziko in the first round of the 2024 Malaysia Open Badminton Championships and advance to the round of 16.
Aspect 7: Can any of the Tueu civil war be passed?
China's first-round civil war was against Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi, who were aiming to storm the Olympics, and they faced He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu, who have been in good form recently and looked a little hopeful of going to Paris.
The third encounter made Liu Yuchen very angry after the draw was announced, and posted on Weibo to ask the BWF.
Again, whether Tuou can break through is a big attraction.
At present, the most competitive competition for qualification in Paris is the men's doubles, and Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi, who are attacking the Olympic Games, are still ranked 7th in the Olympic points ranking in the first week of 2024, which is not much different from the Indian twin tower combination in 5th place, the Japanese nanny in 6th place and Indonesian Shuanga in 8th place. If you play a good points game, you may jump up, or you may be replaced.
Among the top 8, there is currently only one association in China that is two pairs of top 8 temporarily filled. And the strong Indonesia is second in 8th place. No. 9 is Chinese Taipei's Li Yang Wang Qi Lin, and No. 10 Indonesia's Scud pair.
So, for Tuou, every game is crucial. But as a fan, it's also contradictory. There is indeed a contradiction in the heart of who to support. Obviously, Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi need victory more. But if they lose the first round, the chances left for Ji Ting/Ren Xiangyu to go to Paris are really slim.
Aspect 8: Who will continue to go on in the former genius women's singles
In the first round of the women's singles at the 2024 Malaysia Open Badminton Championships, Wang Zhiyi faced Nozomi Okuhara in the first round. Both are players who have had a great history before. Wang Zhiyi has a very high starting point, once on a par with Chen Yufei, won the Asian Championships, although last year was very sluggish, but the strength can still be maintained outside the top 10.
Okuhara hopes that he was once a top master, and after many days of silence, he tried to rise. When the two meet in the new season, one of them will not be able to advance. Wang Zhiyi or Okuhara hope to continue to walk, to a large extent, determines their determination to continue to walk for the Olympic dream.
Aspect 9: Akane Yamaguchi and Intanon have a lot of combat power after their comebacks
Akane Yamaguchi and Intanon both took a break for the 2023 season due to injuries, and in preparation for the Olympic season, Akane Yamaguchi and Intanon will return at the 2024 Malaysia Open Badminton Championships.
Akane Yamaguchi and Intanon were both once the world's top players. Of course, Akane Yamaguchi has always been. Therefore, Akane Yamaguchi's performance in particular is a major attraction of the new season. She's a top F4 and one of the most promising Olympic champions. Whether it will return to business as usual or will collapse is something that needs to be observed.
Aspect 10: Can Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning break through Chen Kangle/Tina
Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning have been very eye-catching in the past year, so they won the BWF award. Chen Kangle/Tina, who played their first game on home soil in the new season, have not won two previous meetings, and the record is 0-2. This time against this pair of strong pairs at the opponent's home stadium, it will be interesting to see whether Liu Shengshu / Tan Ning can beat Chen Kangle / Tina for the first time.
In the latest Women's Doubles World Rankings, Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan are ranked No. 1, Zhang Shuxian/Zheng Yu are No. 7, and Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning are No. 8 in the finals. In the Olympic points rankings, Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning ranked 8th, and Zhang Shuxian/Zheng Yu ranked 9th. If these two pairs can remain in the top eight, one pair will represent China and Fan Chen in the women's doubles at the Olympics. Therefore, Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning's victory over Chen Kangle/Tina is a hurdle that must be crossed to go to Paris.
The first round of fierce battles of other Chinese players
In the first round, the opponents of other Chinese players were not very strong, but they were not so easy to win.
Chen Yufei, the "girlfriend" of two male fans in China and Japan, meets Aya Ohori, and it will be an eye-catching match.
He Bingjiao takes on Brichfeldt and Han Yue takes on Vardani, and winning may not be a big problem.
Zhang Yiman faced Marin again, this is really a difficult game, and whether Manman can turn over is a major attraction.
Gao Fangjie faced Busanlan , and some of them played in this match.
Leung Wai Hang/Wang Chang against Wan Wai Chung/Cheng Kaiwen is not a big problem, mainly to see the performance of the world No. 1 in men's doubles.
In doubles, Chen Boyang/Liu Yi beat Chinese Taipei's Lee Zhehui/Yang Boxuan, and with their recent performances of 100 points, winning will not be a problem.
Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan beat Li Youlin/Shin Seung-chan will definitely be able to advance. And Zhang Shuxian/Zheng Yu, who have been in a slump to play a strong team, have a certain difficulty with Thailand's Emsad sisters.
Li Wenmei/Liu Xuanxuan has a chance of winning against Xu Jiawen/Lin Qiuxian.
Li Yijing/Luo Xu Min will definitely win against Gil/Selning.
In the mixed doubles, Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong can win against the Chinese Tujia Li Jinxi/Wu Zhirou, Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping against Supak/Subisara, and Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin against the grumpy Christiansen/Bor.
Is the Horse Club a season preview towards Paris 2024?
Fans have been talking about the Paris 2024 Olympics for months. Now it's almost there.
There are now seven months to go until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but until then, the fate of the athletes who will participate in the Games will be decided with the end of the qualifying rounds. The first quarter of the year will largely determine Paris' qualification, so with the Malaysian National Stone Open kicking off, all competitors aiming to compete in the Olympics will have to be in the best position from the start of the year.
With the Indian Super 750 Open from Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi, plus two other tours in January: the Indonesia 500 and the Thailand 300, the January season is intense and crucial.
The World Tour was suspended in February, with the main tournament being the continental team competition, plus a German Open in the 300 class.
The French Olympics preview Super 750 Open in early March will be followed by the second Super 1000 event of the year, All England, and of course the Super 300 Orleans Masters, as well as the Swiss Open (Super 300) and the Madrid Masters (Super 300).
In April, there are the Badminton Asia Championships (April 9-14) and the European Championships 2024 (also April 9-14). Therefore, in the final stages of the qualifying tournament, the fate of the players will be closely tied to these competitions.
In any case, the coming months will be a watershed moment for badminton players. Some of the players who have qualified for the Olympics and those who have not qualified or who have participated in the Olympics will retire after the Games. Who will be this time?
Malaysia Open Viewing Guide
Malaysia Open Badminton 2024 Daily tee times
January 9-11 Round 1, 2: 9 a.m
January 12 1/4 finals: 9 a.m./3 p.m
January 13 Semi-finals: 12 p.m
January 14 Finals: 1 p.m