Asian Team Badminton Championship 2024: India vs. China, Vietnam Absent
Ashley
Sun Feb 04 2024
The Asian Team Badminton Championship 2024 is set to take place in Malaysia from February 13-18, but unfortunately, Vietnam will not be participating. While Vietnam may not have a strong chance in the men's team event, their female players, including Nguyễn Thùy Linh and Vũ Thị Trang, could have made an impact. Instead, India and China will face off in both categories.
In the men's team event, India finds themselves in Group A along with China and Hong Kong. On the other hand, the Indian women's team is placed in Group W alongside China. It seems that India has a knack for encountering China as their opponents. However, regardless of the outcome against China, both the Indian men's and women's teams have a good chance of progressing to the quarter-finals, as each group will advance two teams.
PV Sindhu, the leader of the Indian women's team, is a two-time Olympic medalist, while HS Prannoy is a prominent player in the men's team. The top four teams in both the men's and women's events will secure a spot in the Thomas Cup 2024 and Uber Cup 2024 respectively, which will be held in China from April 28 to May 5, 2024.
The host country, Malaysia, seems to have a relatively easier draw in the men's team event. Placed in Group B with Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, and Brunei, Malaysia's world number 10 singles player, Lee Zii Jia, carries the hopes of the home crowd and is expected to have a strong chance of reaching the quarter-finals. Although Chinese Taipei poses a tough challenge for Malaysia, the reigning Asian champions should have no trouble progressing as the top two teams from each group advance.
Malaysia boasts a strong lineup, including Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, and Eogene Ewe in the singles category, as well as Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, Goh Sze Fei, Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Choong Hon Jian, and Mohd Haikal Nazr in the doubles events. Despite Lee's early exit in the Malaysian Open, he reached the quarter-finals of the India Open and Indonesia Masters, indicating his form going into the championship.
Other notable groups include Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Myanmar in Group C, and Indonesia, South Korea, UAE, and Saudi Arabia in Group D. The reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew and his teammates from Singapore will face a tough challenge from Japan and Southeast Asian rivals, Thailand.
In the women's team event, Singapore is drawn in a difficult Group Z with Japan and Chinese Taipei. Malaysia, as the host, will compete in Group Y against Thailand and UAE. Additionally, Indonesia, Hong Kong China, and Kazakhstan will battle it out in Group X. It is worth noting the absence of the South Korean team due to World No.1 player, An Se Young, suffering from an injury.
The Asian Team Badminton Championship 2024 promises to be an exciting tournament with India and China set to clash in both the men's and women's team events. Vietnam's absence is unfortunate, but teams like Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan will also contend for the title. As the tournament progresses, fans can expect thrilling matches and memorable performances from some of the world's best badminton players.