The biggest shock so far has been Viktor Axelsen’s defeat to Ng Tze Yong on the third day of the competition, leaving it all to play for in the men’s singles. In the women’s singles, 7 of the 8 quarter-finalists rank in the top 10, with Akane Yamaguchi and An Se Young both still on their path to meet in the final, if they can make it through the next two rounds of the tournament.
The men’s doubles has been dominated by teams Malaysia and China so far, but Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, the No.4 ranked pair, are still in the mix and victory today would be another step closer to the final. For the women’s doubles, several underdogs have made it to this stage, the most unlikely pair being Ha Na Baek and So Hee Lee of South Korea, who beat the No.2 seeds, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, in Round of 16.
In the mixed discipline, only 2 seeded pairs remain, the 3rd seeds, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand, and the 1st seeds, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong from China.
Matchups to watch
Men’s Singles
T.Y. NG (Malaysia) VS S.F. Li (China)
Ng Tze Yong pulled through with an unlikely victory over Viktor Axelsen in the 2nd round of the tournament, putting his hand up as a contender for this year’s men’s singles title. The young man from Malaysia was ranked No. 28 coming into the tournament, not exactly a position that would have earned him much attention from the neutrals, but now every fan inside the Utilita Arena will be excited to see how he goes in his quarter-final match against Li Shi Feng of Team China.
Women’s Singles
Marin (Spain) VS S.Y. An (Japan)
Bouncing back from horrific injury at the Tokyo Olympics, Carolina Marin is a woman determined to show she is still one of the best out there. The No.7 ranked seed from Spain made it through the 1st and 2nd rounds in style, but will face her biggest challenge yet in An Se Young at the quarter-final stage. The No.2 is also in blistering form, so this will be a certain one to watch.
Men’s Doubles
Koboyashi & T. Hoki (Japan) VS H.D. Zhou & J.T. He (China)
Japan’s Yugo Kobayashi and Takuro Hoki had to see off a valiant effort from Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Adam Hall in Round of 16, and today the No.4 ranked seeds will face an even tougher challenge in Team China’s He Ji Ting and Zhou Hao Dong. If The Chinese pair wins today, the semi-finals will belong to Team China and Team Malaysia.
Women’s Doubles
The No. 1 seeds of team China face the challenge of Kong Hee Yong and Kim So Yeong of South Korea. The Korean duo recently held the top spot in women’s doubles but have slipped down the rankings slightly, currently sitting at No. 6. A win today is a tall order, but not out of the question, and would see them back on their way to the top 3.
Tabeling & S.Piek VS W.H. Kim & N.E. Jeong
These two pairs are ranked 13 and 12 in the world rankings respectively and they have never played each other before. Both pairs will be determined to guarantee themselves a medal and try to challenge for the title. The crowd are likely to get behind Tabeling and Piek since they are the last European pair left in the XD competition.
