LI-NING Hong Kong Open｜Home players face tough battles as draws made for LI-NING Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships Lee Cheuk Yiu and Ng Ka Long to meet Loh Kean Yew and Viktor Axelsen respectively Tang/Tse pair takes on Malaysian opponents

The six-day LI-NING Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships, a HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 event, will kick off next week at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom on September 10 (Tuesday). Draws for all five events have been made with daunting tasks for home players. In the MEN’S SINGLES, Lee Cheuk Yiu and Ng Ka Long Angus will need to be at their best against former world champion Loh Kean Yew and reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen respectively. Playing possibly their last tournament in front of the home crowd, Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet will take on Choong Hon Jian and Go Pei Kee of Malaysia in the MIXED DOUBLES.

Players from 26 countries and regions have enrolled this year’s Hong Kong Open with a strong field of 321 entries. According to the World Tour rules, 246 players from 18 countries and regions of the total entries will be featured in the main draws that have been made ahead of the tournament.

Hong Kong, China’s two MEN’S SINGLES representatives, Lee Cheuk Yiu and Ng Ka Long Angus, will start in the opening round but both face quality opponents in the early stage. Drawn in the upper half of the pool, Paris Olympian Lee will have to overcome Loh Kean Yew from Singapore for a berth in the round of 16 as the top half section also includes 2024 Asian champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia and Kodai Naraoka of Japan.

In the lower half, another Hong Kong, China representative, Ng Ka Long Angus will be given a tough task in his opening match against Danes Viktor Axelsen, who successfully defended his title at the recent Paris Olympics. Other top players in the section include Anthony Ginting of Indonesia, Lu Guang Ju of China and Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. Two other Hong Kong, China players, Jason Gunawan and Chan Yin Chak will have to start in the qualifying round.

In the MIXED DOUBLES, another event that is always on top of the home fans’ list, will see home favourites Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, the number three seeds who captured a silver medal in last month’s Japan Open. They will meet Choong Hon Jian and Go Pei Kee of

Malaysia in the first round as two other Hong Kong, China pairs, Lee Chun Hei Reginald/Ng Tsz Yau and Lui Chun Wai/Fu Chi Yan have drawn to meet opponents from Malaysia and Chinese Taipei respectively. World number three and 2024 Asian champions, Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China will play against a Thai pair in the first round. Three other Hong Kong, China combinations, Yeung Shing Choi/Lui Lok Lok, Hung Kuei Chun/Tsang Hiu Yan and Chow Hin Long/Leung Sze Lok will start in the qualifiers.

In the WOMEN’ S SINGLES, Lo Sin Yan Happy and top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, both Paris Olympians, will play against a qualifier in their respective opening matches. Wang Zhi Yi of China, the 2024 Asian champion and compatriot Han Yue, will take on players from Thailand and Denmark respectively. Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia, the fourth seed, will face Thai opponent Ratchanok Intanon in the second stage if she can overcome her compatriot in the first round. Two other Hong Kong, China representatives, Saloni Mehta and Yeung Sum Yee will start in the qualifying round.

Also featuring in the Paris Olympics, Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam of Hong Kong, China will play against Lee Yu Lim and Shin Seung Chan of South Korea in the WOMEN’S DOUBLES first round. If they advance, they may have a chance to meet compatriots Leung Yuet Yee and Ng Wing Yung. Two other Hong Kong, China pairs, Lui Lok Lok/Tsang Hiu Yan and Fan Ka Yan/Yau Mau Ying can also meet in the quarterfinals if they can win through along the way. Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China, who clinched a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, received a bye in the first round, along with Asian champions Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea.

Hong Kong, China’s sole representative in the MEN’S DOUBLES main draw, Law Cheuk Him and Yeung Shing Choi will take on an Indonesian pair in the opening round. If they conquer the first hurdle, they could meet seventh seeds, Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun of Malaysia.

Wang Chi Lin and Lee Yang, who won the gold medal for Chinese Taipei at the Paris Olympics, have ended their partnership after the Taiwan Open. Wang will be playing with a new partner, Chiu Hsiang Chieh in Hong Kong and will meet a pair from the qualifiers in the opening round. Former world champions Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea also play against a qualifier in the first round. Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, bronze medallists at the Paris Olympics, will meet Chiang Chien Wei and Wu Hsuan Yi of Chinese Taipei. Hong Kong, China pair of Hung Kuei Chun/Lui Chun Wei will start in the qualifiers.

Tickets are now available at URBTIX. For details, please visit the official website of the LI-NING Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships www.hkopenbadminton.org or contact the Badminton Association of Hong Kong, China at 2504 8318.