Hong Kong’s Tang and Tse handed tough start to badminton’s World Tour Finals

Hong Kong badminton pair Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet have been handed a tough draw ahead of the BWF World Tour Finals after qualifying as the only players from the city.

The mixed doubles pair, who are ranked seventh this week, will begin their quest in Group B on Wednesday against Chinese world No 1s Zheng Siwei and Huang YaQiong, before facing South Koreans Seo Seung-jae and Chau Yu-jung, as well as Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun.

A semi-final appearance at the China Masters last month earned them a spot at the year-end tournament. They previously took part in 2021, and reached the final in 2017.

Returning to Hangzhou for the first time since failing to reach the last eight at the Games in September, the pair need to finish in the top two Group B to reach the semi-finals.

Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino, who are ranked second in the world, should fancy their chances in Group A, although they will face a tough fight against host pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China, Thailand duo Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, as well as Malaysians Chen Tang-jie and Toh Ee-wei.

This year’s edition mark the first of four finals tournaments to be held in the most populous city of Zhejiang province, with the US$2.5 million prize money set to rise by another million dollars by 2026.

With between 6,600 and 12,000 ranking points on offer, taking part in the World Tour Finals gives players a chance to consolidate their qualifying positions for the Paris Olympics.

Apart from the top eight pairs in the men’s and women’s doubles, also playing at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo Centre this week will be Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying.

The three-time women’s singles champion is chasing a historic title in China, in what will be her last chance with the world No 4 planning to retire after the 2024 Games.

Tai is placed in the same group as reigning world champion An Se-young and her fellow Korean Kim Ga-eun, as well as Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.

China’s Chan Yufei finds herself in Group B alongside former Olympic winner and three-time world champion Carolina Marin of Spain, fellow compatriot Han Yue, and Zhang Beiwen, who is representing the United States.

In the men’s singles event, Viktor Axelsen, who is seeking his fifth year-end title, will have to battle Kodai Naraoka of Japan, host player Shi Yuqi and Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in Group A.

World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn is in the other group alongside Li Shi Feng of China, Jonathan Christie of Indonesia and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen.