Dubai

Badminton’s cream of the crop led by Lee Chong Wei and Tai Tzu-ying, the number one ranked men’s and women’s players on the planet, will be among a stellar field competing at the season-ending BWF Dubai World Superseries Finals, which start today at the Hamdan Sports Complex.

Lee, who has amassed 65 titles and was a silver medallist at this summer’s Rio Olympic Games, is joined by Korea’s Son Wan Ho, Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long, and Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen.in a fierce- looking Group B.

Denmark’s Jan O Horgensen, the dual European Player of the Year and world No 3, will battle China’s Tian Houwei, Germany’s Marc Zwiebler and Hong Kong’s Hu Yun in Group B.

The top two players from each group will qualify for the semifinals.

The women’s singles will feature a much-anticipated re-match of the Rio Olympics gold medal game between World and Olympic Champion Carolina Marin of Spain and India’s rising star, PV Sindhu, one of the two Indian badminton players to ever win an Olympic medal, the other being Saina Nehwal.

Sindhu is also the recipient of India’s highest sport honours, the Arjuna Award and the Padmashree

Also in Group B are second seeded Japanese teenager Akane Yamaguchi and China’s Ube Cup star Sun Yu.

New World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying, a top seed at the event, heads Group A with Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and China’s He Bingjiao.

Tai, who will attempt to regain the form that saw her triumph here in 2014.

Burning ambition

The diminutive but offensive player, who says winning an Olympic medal is her life’s ambition said: “My mindset is the same, irrespective of my ranking,” she said. “I enjoy playing and giving my best on court. I haven’t thought much about being No.1. It matters more to people around me. I feel no pressure at coming here as the top seed.”

Jorgensen, who professes his love for influencing people and promoting badminton ‘in the best possible way,’ commented: “Even though (Olympic champion) Chen Long is missing, it’s a strong field,” said Jorgensen. “I have to enjoy myself. The players really like it here as the set-up is very nice.”

The five-day tournament also features doubles and mixed doubles categories.

Unlike in the women’s singles, the women’s doubles saw the Olympic finalists tossed into separate groups.

Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi have been grouped with Korea’s Chang Ye Na/Lee So Hee; Japan’s Naoko Fukuman/Kurumi Yonao and defending BWF Dubai World Superseries champions Luo Ying/Luo Yu (China).

Olympic silver medallists Christinna Pedersen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Denmark) are in Group B, with Korea’s Jung Kyung Eun/Shin Seung Chan; Malaysia’s Vivian Hoo/Woon Khe Wei and China’s Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan.

Mixed Doubles Olympic gold medallists Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir (Indonesia) are grouped with Ko Sung Hyun/Kim Ha Na (Korea); Denmark Open champions Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christinna Pedersen (Denmark) and All England champions Praveen Jordan/Debby Susanto (Indonesia).

Defending champions Chris Adcock/Gabrielle Adcock (England) were drawn alongside China’s Lu Kai/Huang Yaqiong; China’s Zheng Siwei/Chen Qingchen and Japan’s Kenta Kazuno/Ayane Kurihara.

Launched in 2007, the BWF World Superseries is a 12-tournament series where the world’s best singles and doubles players compete to reach the top eight Destination Dubai Rankings and secure a place in the $1,000,000 Dubai World Superseries Finals.

To qualify for the Dubai finale the players collected points from twelve MetLife BWF World Superseries Tournaments held around the world throughout the year.