Stars return for Southeast Asian June

Next month’s Indonesia Open will mark the 2013 Superseries debut for former top-5 badminton players Lin Dan, Guo Zhendong, and Yoo Yeon Seong while numerous new pairings will feature in both the Indonesia and Thailand Opens in June.

Guo Zhendong and Lin Dan made brief appearances at the Badminton Asia Championships in April but both will be playing in their first Superseries of 2013 at the Djarum Indonesia Open Superseries Premier. Guo will be paired with Shen Ye, whose former partner Hong Wei will be partnering Chai Biao for the pair’s first Superseries outing after warming up with the German and Swiss Opens this past winter.  Shen will also be playing mixed doubles with Tang Jinhua.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlei will be back with Tian Qing while Cheng Shu, who had a temporary reunion with Zhao this year, will have another tryout with Bao Yixin.  Cheng and Bao reached two finals in the summer of 2011 and won the Canada Open title.

One week earlier, the Thailand Open will see the 2013 debut of Yoo Yeon Seong and Son Wan Ho, who are now back on the national team after leaving to begin their military service.  Yoo will take up with Shin Baek Cheol, with whom he won the Denmark Open last fall and in mixed doubles, he will be alongside Shin’s former partner Eom Hye Won.  Eom, for her part, will be with Choi Hye In in women’s doubles.  All of the Koreans are entered in both the Thailand and Indonesia Opens.

Singapore continues to shuffle its pairs as well.  After a brief spate with Shinta Mulia Sari, former singles player Fu Mingtian will be paired with Yao Lei in June while Sari will play with Vanessa Neo.

As the home team, Thailand will be fielding some new pairs with veteran Savitree Amitrapai now out of the line-up.  Maneepong Jongjit will make his first appearance in mixed doubles in almost a year, this time with the towering Puttita Supajirakul, who will also take Savitree’s place as the partner of Sapsiree Taerattanachai.  The former duo won the the India Grand Prix Gold in December.