The Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) men’s singles promises to be an intriguing battle between the continent’s elite shuttlers, especially considering how open the category has been this year.
Eight Asians have triumphed in nine BWF World Tour events since the turn of the year, which goes to show any shuttler who has a good week at the office in Dubai this week could land the continent’s biggest personal prize.
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Here are four individuals who could contend for the men's singles crown this year.
Lee Zii Jia
As the defending champion, Lee is one of the top picks to defend his title.
Even though he has not hit the heights of last year, the world number four posted a significant improvement in his last two events by reaching the semi-finals of the All-England and Swiss Open.
The Malaysian jetted off to Dubai having trained with the Hong Kong men’s singles team the past week, which should give him an ideal competitive edge ahead of the BAC.
Lee would however need to hit the ground running with a first round test looming against a potential giant killer in Angus Ng Ka Long.
Jonatan Christie
Still only 25, Christie comes into this BAC having lost in two closely fought encounters against Lee in last year’s final.
The Indonesian has picked up pace this season, evident in his Indonesia Masters triumph where he ousted high profile opponents such as Lakshya Sen and Shi Yu Qi to the title.
Seeded top at the BAC, Christie couldn’t have expected a much tougher contest in the opening round as he takes on Shi in the opening round.
If he can keep the unforced errors to a minimum, the explosive shuttler could see himself progressing far.
Shi Yu Qi
Once dubbed badminton’s bad boy due to a one-year ban for inappropriate behaviour, Shi has redeemed himself to become one of the heavyweights in the men’s singles again.
At 27, the Chinese can bank on his experience to go far, having engaged in many duels with legends such as Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Chen Long.
Shi is also in good form this year, with a runner-up finish at the All-England and two semi-finals appearances at the Indonesia and Thailand Masters.
If he can beat Christie in the opening round, expect to see Shi keep his foothold in the competition.
Li Shi Feng
Dubbed the new “ace in the pack” for China, Li’s position outside the top 10 does not hold any rank to his performance.
A powerful shuttler that can produce high pace badminton for long periods, Li has also developed a strong mental fortitude that will be crucial in high stakes moments.
It was evident when he overcame Shi to win the All-England, and before that he also did well to reach the German Open final.
Like Shi, Li would be hoping to emulate in the footsteps of his illustrious countrymen such as Lin Dan, Chen Long, Xia Xuanze and Chen Jin to have won this title in the past.
