Throughout the year Kento Momota dominated the Men’s single and the Minnions in doubles. In women’s matches we saw a few ups and downs but Tai Tzu Ying is best bet in singles. Season climax World Tour Final is here and its a perfect opportunity for badminton fans to see the best battle it out for glory.
Men’s Singles Preview : World no 1 Kento Momota is favorite for title.
Kento Momota has been a standout player all year and has won record ten titles. His current form is an ominous sign for his rivals. His patience, endurance, control on the net and pace around all corners are the factors which makes the left hander top favorite to win the year ending title. But like last year he lost to Shi Yu Qi in finals. So it will be interesting to see how he perform this year.
Chou Tien Chen has won Indonesia and Thailand open this year. Fozhou China Open final was a treat to watch as he fought hard (eventually lost) and showed great strategic fluidity. We are hoping another epic battle in Tour Finals. While his compatriot Wang Tzu Wei coming after his triumph at Syed Modi International and will be interesting to see if he can ruffle some feather in the group stage.
Anders Antonsen gave consistent performance throughout the year and he is a genuine contender in every tournament. His net play and accuracy of his shots give him an edge. His compatriot Victor Axelsen is coming fresh after an injury. This will be an advantage to him as nobody faced him in last few months.
Chen Long had a bumpy ride throughout and people expects more from him. He is always under scanner due and people point his Rio success. Home advantage may carry him through but his focus must be 100 percent otherwise he doesn’t stand a chance.
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting is an underachiver and victim of poor umpiring decisions. His racket skills and speed are exceptional but he is the most inconsistent player in this group. Jonathan Christie improved a lot since Asian Games and more consistent than Ginting.
India have 6 players in top 30 still there is no entry in men’s singles category. Kidambi Srikant, H.S Prannoy suffered injuries and inconsistent performance in tournament they played this year. Both suffered many first round exits. Only bright star was Sai Praneetas he won bronze in world championship and Lakshay Sen four titles this year.
