BWF World Tour Finals 2022: H.S. Prannoy carries India’s hope in season finale

H.S. Prannoy is the lone Indian shuttler within the BWF World Tour Finals 2022 after adorned girls’s singles specialist P.V. Sindhu pulled out of the occasion as she continues her restoration from a hamstring harm suffered within the Commonwealth Video games.

The season-ending occasion – which has been shifted from Guangzhou, China, as a result of rise in Covid-19 infection- will probably be held in Bangkok from December 7-11.

Ranked third within the Race to Finals, Prannoy earned direct qualification to the season finale for the primary time in his profession on the again of an excellent season, which noticed him enjoying a significant position in India’s Thomas Cup victory. Solely the highest eight gamers on the world tour can qualify for the event.

Such has been the dominance of defending champion Viktor Axelsen within the World Tour calendar that he’ll begin as an outright favorite within the males’s singles. The Dane shuttler swept the season, claiming an amazing 39-match profitable streak – a world report within the self-discipline – and 5 Tremendous Series titles.

But, the sector may produce surprises with gamers like Chou Tien Chen, Jonatan Christie, Anthony Ginting, and Loh Kean Yew that includes within the occasion.

Additionally Learn | Full listing of gamers collaborating within the BWF World Tour Finals 2022

Nonetheless, Prannoy could possibly be a darkish horse. He performed an aggressive model of badminton this yr. He didn’t win any titles, however his capacity to provide upset wins makes him the one to be careful for.

In contrast to males’s singles, the ladies’s singles subject has no clear favorite, with none capable of thump full authority over the season.

Defending champion An Se Younger, world champion Akane Yamaguchi, Olympic champion Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao, who claimed Denmark Open and French Open titles, are all robust contenders. Tai Tzu Ying and Ratchanok Intanon won’t have had an excellent season, however their previous years’ achievements will maintain them in competition.

In males’s doubles, French Open-winning Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty missed the lower by a whisker as they dropped essential factors early within the season attributable to accidents.

In Bangkok, the Indonesian combo of Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Ardianto would be the favorite. However different pairs aren’t too far behind, with Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan, Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuan Yi, Choi Sol Gyu-Kim Received Ho, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi additionally staking a declare.

However, on this subject, all eyes will probably be on Malaysia’s rising duo Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi. They haven’t gained any title this yr, however they’ll wish to journey on their latest runner-up end on the Australian Open to make a mark within the prestigious occasion.

Girls’s doubles, in the meantime, guarantees to be an attention-grabbing subject, with new faces disrupting the rating.

Within the prime 10, the highest three pairs – Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong, Zhang Shu Xian-Zheng Yu and Benyapa Aimsaard-Nuntakarn Aimsaard – have performed their maiden season on the World Tour solely this yr and emerged as title contenders for the BWF World Tour Finals by the tip of it.

Nonetheless, Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan – who claimed their maiden Tremendous Series title on the French Open solely lately – would be the favorite on paper.

Like males’s singles, blended doubles guarantees to be an uneven subject. World No. 1 and prime seed Zheng Siwei-Huang Ya Qiong gained 9 of their 13 occasions this yr. It is going to be robust for different pairs to beat them.