Dubai: Reigning European champion Jan Ostergaard Jorgensen, the 26-year-old from Denmark, believes that top seed Chen Long is the player to beat in this week’s BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals.
Jorgensen will be the second seed in the men’s singles draw of the Superseries Finals, which will be staged at the Hamdan Sports Complex from December 17-21.
His seven competitors, who will complete the field for this elite event include Chen, Son Wan Ho, Kidambi Srikanth, Kento Momota, Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, Tommy Sugiarto and Kenichi Tago. Only the top eight eligible players in the world have qualified through 12 events for this season-ending extravaganza.
Looking forward to showcasing his skills in Dubai, Jorgensen said: “It has always been on my mind to qualify for Dubai. That’s why I played the Denmark and French Open despite not being fully fit — I needed the points. It’s perfect to see a new place doing something for our sport. I’m sure Dubai can offer a lot and I really look forward to playing there.”
The right-hander has enjoyed mixed fortunes in 2014, struggling with his fitness and inconsistency at times. As the top seed and favourite, he surged to the title at the European Championships in Kazan, Russia, in April. The Superseries tournaments this year, though, have brought him his fair share of ups and down.
The Aalborg-born shuttler made the semi-finals of the Superseries tournaments in Malaysia, India, Japan and Hong Kong, and really shone in Indonesia. At the BCA Indonesian Open in June, Jorgensen beat some of the players he may face again in Dubai this week, including Son Wan Ho, Chen Long and Kenichi Tago, en route to the title.
A win-loss record of 33-13 in 2014 certainly makes Jorgensen one of the strong title-contenders, and speaking about his chances he said: “The key to winning this tournament is to play well every day and of course also to have a bit of luck.”
In the last edition of the Superseries Finals in Kuala Lumpur, the Dane finished second in Group A behind eventual champion Lee Chong Wei, who is missing this year’s tournament due to a suspension. Jorgensen beat Boonsak Ponsana and Wang Zhengming, before losing to Lee Chong Wei in both the group-stage and the semi-finals. Reflecting on that outing and what he learnt from it, he said: “It’s about playing well every day. You really need to bring your A-game from the very first rally; otherwise it will be a short tournament.”
This year’s Superseries events have seen lots of different players winning MetLife BWF World Superseries titles — the likes of Simon Santoso, Jan Jorgensen, Chou Tien-Chen, Kidambi Srikanth and Son Wan-ho — making this year’s tournament potentially the most open Superseries Finals in recent times.
