Viktor Axelsen
By his standards, the world number one has not had the best year so far.
Axelsen only has two semi-finals finishes at the Malaysia Open and most recently the European Championships as his best results of 2024.
But expect a fired-up Axelsen to show up in Chengdu, China as he leads Denmark as the country’s first singles.
An epic showdown against Lee Zii Jia is on the cards if both men bring their true form to court.
Anders Antonsen
Antonsen had outshone his lanky team-mate this year and comes to the Thomas Cup as one of the most in-form men’s singles shuttler on the World Tour this season.
He captured the Malaysia Open title, and swiftly followed it up with the Indonesia Masters success to claim two victories in January.
The world number four then collected his third title this year when he beat Toma Junior Popov in straight games to clinch the European Championships gold medal.
Antonsen will pose all sorts of problems for either Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh or Choong Hon Jian, who will need the performance of their lives to outfox this Dane.
Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen
Ranked fourth in the world, Astrup-Rasmussen are set to go up against Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the first doubles match-up which promises to be a charged-up affair.
Chia-Soh hold a 6-3 win advantage over the Danes, but that statistic does not mean much in a big team clash of this magnitude.
The Malaysians could be slight favourites to provide this all-important point, having beaten their opponents in the last two meetings at the Sudirman Cup and Denmark Open last year.
But it is worth mentioning that Astrup-Rasmussen are also newly minted European Championships winners like Antonsen, and they will aim to bring that form against Chia-Soh.
Lee Cheuk Yiu
Hong Kong’s strength lies in their singles department, with Lee Cheuk Yiu set to provide the biggest test against an opponent who also shares the same surname.
Zii Jia doesn’t have a good record against Cheuk Yiu, having lost to him twice in their three meetings.
Despite being ranked outside the top 10, Cheuk Yiu has done well to beat higher ranked shuttlers this year and his attacking game has earned him victories against Anthony Ginting & Kodai Naraoka among others.
The world number 15 has had one fine tournament this season when he finished second at the India Open, and will be out to make the Thomas Cup another good campaign as he attempts to put the pressure on Zii Jia should they clash.
Angus Ng Ka Long
Ng’s form has dipped this year, but his experience will be crucial to earn Hong Kong a point against Malaysia in the second singles.
The world number 27 has not had the best year with two quarter-finals as his best result, but he is expected to assume a leadership role for his country in this team event and deliver a win against Malaysia.
Leong would be the most suited candidate to go up against Ng, and he will need to be cautious against the one of the most senior shuttlers in the group who has a flexible style and is able to adapt well against any opponent.
