Former #1s bound for Changzhou and Auckland

Two former world #1 shuttlers are bound for Auckland next month while a couple of Olympic gold medallists will appear in Changzhou the same week. The entry lists for both the SKYCITY New Zealand Open Grand Prix and the China Masters Grand Prix Gold were both released today and they reveal a distinct lack of interest in the higher-level event.

The New Zealand Open has a field bursting with reserves in the men’s singles and doubles and the mixed. While the largest contingent is, of course, local, there are also sizable combinations of both veterans and youngsters coming from Taiwan and Malaysia, among other places. Two key inclusions are former world no. 1 shuttlers Lee Hyun Il of Korea in the men’s singles and Koo Kien Keat of Malaysia in the men’s and mixed doubles. Both players are currently competing for pro teams independently of their national associations. Also of interest is the return of Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito of Japan, who have not played internationally since 2012.

The China Masters, by contrast, will be very poorly attended. Though the most lucrative on the Grand Prix Gold circuit, it features a mere 12-18 entries in each discipline but the 32-person men’s singles. Poor turnouts are not unheard-of for this event, which spent 6 years as a Superseries event falling less than a month after either the Olympics or the World Championships. This year, both it and the New Zealand Open occupy the 4th week of a 5-week string of Grand Prix Gold and Superseries events that begins next week with the Malaysia Grand Prix Gold.

The China Masters will still be a showcase of some superb badminton talent. 5-time World Champion Lin Dan is slated to make his comeback and London Olympic gold medallist Cai Yun is entered with Lu Kai in the men’s doubles; however, there are also dozens of young up-and-coming Chinese shuttlers, many of whom have already begun accumulating titles. The probability is high that China will sweep the titles for the fifth time in this event’s ten-year history.

You can use the following links to download the entry lists for the China Masters and the New Zealand Open from the BWF website.