photos by Raphael Sachetat - www.badmintonphoto.com

With just under two months to go before the IBF World Championships in Anaheim, USA, the world’s best shuttlers will be out in force at the Aviva Open Singapore next week (27 June-3 July) in a bid to boost their seeding prospects at the world meet.

Such is the popularity of this 5* US$170,000 World Grand Prix, that organisers are boasting a turnout of 75% of the world’s top players for their event, with 100% of the top ten players/pairs in each of the five disciplines included in the draw which took place today (Monday).

World number one Lin Dan tops the bill in the men’s singles event, and will be looking to continue the confident form he showed during the recent Sudirman Cup in Beijing.  The 21-year-old has already claimed two World Grand Prix titles this year (in Germany and Japan) and, with the Aviva Open Singapore just one of two GP events left before the World Championships, Lin will be keen to tighten his grip at the top of the world ranking list, ready for when the World Championship seedings are announced on 4 August.

Lin will take on India’s Abhinn Shyam Gupta in the first round, before a likely quarter-final clash with Muhd. Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia, seeded sixth.

Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen will take to the courts as second favourite – a position he also held for the 2004 event, where he claimed an historic victory by becoming the first non-Asian to win the men’s singles title.  But the Dane will have to be quick out of the blocks this year, as he’ll likely face two dangerous unseeded players in the early rounds – namely Roslin Hashim and either World Champion Xia Xuanze or Olympic bronze medallist Sony Dwi Kuncoro.

Olympic Champion Taufik Hidayat should have an easy opening to his campaign – he’s up against Korea’s Ahn Hyun Suk is his first match – while eleventh seed and world silver medallist Wong Choong Hann awaits home hopeful Ronald Susilo in the second round.

China’s girls occupy the top two seeded berths in women’s singles, through world number one Xie Xingfang, and the Olympic, World and Singapore Open champion Zhang Ning.  Xie takes on Thailand’s Salakjit Ponsana in her first match before a probable quarter-final with compatriot and 2004 runner-up Zhou Mi, while Zhang’s first round opponent is Japan’s Eriko Hirose.

Europe’s Chinese imports Pi Hongyan of France and Yao Jie of the Netherlands are the third and fourth seeds respectively.  Both take on qualifiers in their opening matches, with Yao drawn to meet Xie in the semi-finals, and Pi tipped to face Zhang. 

In the men’s doubles, Denmark’s world number one pair Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen are favourites and will be hoping to go one step further than their 2004 runner-up position.  They lost in last year’s final to Indonesia’s Luluk Hadiyanto and Yulianto Alven, who are seeded second for the 2005 event.  The European Champions from Denmark have been drawn against England’s Nathan Robertson and Robert Blair in the first round, while the Indonesians will face a pair from the qualifying rounds.

Third seeds and reigning World Champions Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen are up against Zheng Bo-Xie Zhongbo of China, fourth seeds Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto take on Sudket Prapakamol-Patapol Ngernsrisuk of Thailand, and fifth favourites and All England Champions Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun are set to meet Malaysia’s Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah in their opening encounters.

The top of the women’s doubles seeding list seeds the same dominant names – top seeds the Olympic champions Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen look set to retain their 2004 title, while teammates Wei Yili-Zhao Tingting and Gao Ling (pictured) and Huang Sui are equally potent threats in the second and third seeded positions.

Korea’s Lee Kyung Won-Lee Hyo Jung occupy the fourth seeded position, while the 2004 runners-up, Sathinee Chankrachangwong-Saralee Thungthungkam, are seeded sixth ahead of Danes Rikke Olsen-Mette Schjoldager.

An Olympic rematch is on the cards again in the mixed doubles, as top seeds and Athens silver medallists Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms are due to meet second favourites and Olympic champions Zhang Jun and Gao Ling in the Singapore final.  The English duo avenged their Olympic defeat in the quarter-finals of the 2004 Aviva Open Singapore – just three months after losing the nail-biting final in Athens.

Follow all the drama from the Aviva Open Singapore all next week at