Draw made for Dubai World Superseries Finals season finale at Hamdan Sports Complex

Sport360 staff 14:13 11/12/2017
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  • Stars gathered for the official draw on Monday.

    The elite of world badminton are back in Dubai this week to battle it out for one of the most prestigious and fiercely contested titles in the sport, the season-ending Dubai World Superseries Finals.

    The extravaganza will take place in Dubai for the final time at the Hamdan Sports Complex from December 13-17, and in an absolute treat for badminton fans, Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei has been drawn in the same group as Olympic champion Chen Long in the men’s singles.

    Only the eight top-ranked players from the BWF Destination Dubai Rankings in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles have earned a place at the prestigious tournament, which sees them compete for a share of a US$1million prize pool. To qualify for Dubai the players had to amass points from twelve MetLife BWF World Superseries Tournaments held around the world throughout the year.

    Speaking at the pre-event press conference and draw on Monday, H.E. Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council said: “This is the fourth and final year Dubai will play host to the BWF World Superseries Finals. The last three years have been fantastic, but I think this year’s event will be the best yet, and I say this because the 2017 edition will be a real celebration. A celebration because the best badminton players in the world return to our city, but also a celebration of the legacy left behind by this major event.

    “Thousands now play badminton after seeing the play at Hamdan and the coaching offered by the Shuttle Time Dubai programme, and this is important for Dubai Sports Council that these major tournaments come to Dubai and leave a real legacy behind, and the Dubai World Superseries Finals has done just that.”

    The media event was also attended by Thomas Lund, Secretary General of the Badminton World Federation, who said: “We are delighted to be back in Dubai for the annual showpiece to crown the season’s top players. Over the past four years, Dubai has become one of the favourite destinations of the badminton fraternity. Looking at the names of players who have qualified for this tournament, I’m happy to note that they represent the highest standard of badminton.

    “As you all know, this is the last edition of the season finale in Dubai. I would like to thank all our partners, particularly Dubai Sports Council, Falcon and Associates, and of course the Royal family for believing in this event and elevating it to the level it is today. Thanks to this partnership, badminton has enjoyed significant success and publicity in Dubai and the wider Middle East and we are optimistic there are bigger things in store for the sport in this region in the near future, especially with the establishment of the United Arab Emirates Badminton Association last year.

    “We are pleased to have some great talent showcasing their skills this week. The setting for this event has always brought out the best in players and I have no doubt that we will have another spectacular finish to what has been an incredible season.”

    The men’s singles Group A is set to provide some fantastic clashes, with Olympic champion Chen Long in the same group as Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei. Also in Group A is top seed Son Won Ho of Korea, and Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus.

    Lee Chong Wei is an icon of the sport.

    Lee Chong Wei is an icon of the sport.

    Group B will see World champion and defending Dubai champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark up against Dubai crowd favourite Kidambi Srikanth of India. China’s Shi Yuqui and Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen make up the group.

    In the Women’s Singles the pools are fairly even, with top seed Akane Yamaguchi drawn in Pool A alongside World Championship and Olympic silver medallist Pusarla V Sindhu, Japan’s Sayaka Sato and He Bingjiao. In pool B 2014 winner and 2016 defending champion Tai Tzu Ying will face Sung Ji Hyun, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and China’s Chen Yufei.

    In a tough Group A in the men’s doubles, Indonesia’s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamiljo who won a remarkable six Superseries titles this year will face 2017 World Champions Li Junhhui and Liu Yuchen of China, Mads Conrad Petersen and Mads Peiler Kolding of Denmark and Japan’s Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda.

    In Group B second seeds Denmark’s Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen will meet Liu Cheng/Zhang Nan of China, Lee Jhe-Huei/Lee Yang of Chinese Taipei and Takuro Hoki/ Yugo Kobayashi of Japan.

    In the Women’s Doubles top seeds Shiho Tanaka/Koharu Yonemoto of Japan are drawn in Group A with world champions and Dubai defending champions Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan of China. Also in the group are China’s Yu Xiaohan/ Huang Yaqiong and Korea’s Chang Ye Na/Lee So Hee.

    Group B sees World Championship silver medallists Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota of Japan up against the World Championships bronze medallists Christinna Pedesen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark, Jung Kyung Eun/Shin Seung Chan of Korea and Hsu Ya Ching/Wu Ti Jung.

    The Mixed Doubles Group A defending champions Zheng Siwei/Chen Qingchen will face Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet, Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan/Debby Susanto and Japan’s Kenta Kazuno/ Ayane Kurihara.

    In a tougher draw, Group B is led by world champions Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir (Indonesia), who will face 2015 Dubai World Superseries Finals winners and 2016 runners-up Chris and Gabrielle Adcock of England. Also in the group are Wang Yilyu/Huang Dongping of China and Tan Kian Meng/Lai Pei Jing of Malaysia.

    India's Pusarla V. Sindhu hits a shot against apan's Akane Yamaguchi during their quarterfinal women's singles matc at the Hong Kong Open badminton tournament in Hong Kong on November 24, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ISAAC LAWRENCE (Photo credit should read ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/Getty Images)

    Fans favourite: P. V. Sindhu.

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