By Xiao Yazhuo, Tao Xinye, Liu Yue
NANJING, China, July 30 (Xinhua) -- As the world's top shuttlers gather to compete in the 2018 BWF World Championships, which kick off here on Monday in Nanjing, the Chinese players know very well they could be under pressure playing in front of their home supporters and they are maintaining a low profile heading into the tournament.
Japan's Momota Kento is definitely under the spotlight in Nanjing and is seen as the favorite in the men's singles competition. After missing 15 months of international badminton, the 23-year-old started off his comeback well by defeating Chen Long and Viktor Axelsen in the Asian Championships and Indonesian Open earlier this year.
Finding himself in the bottom half of the draw, Momota has every reason to seize a place in the final after two of his biggest rivals Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Sun Wan Ho of South Korea have withdrawn due to injuries.
Defending champion Axelsen was drawn into the top half of the draw along with four Chinese players - Lin Dan, Chen Long, Shi Yuqi and Huang Yuxiang. The Dane was frustrated by injury earlier this season but won the European Championships in April and will look to peak in Nanjing.
Barring any surprises, Axelsen will confront Rio 2016 champion Chen Long, seeded no.8, in the quarterfinals. A potential third-round clash between two Chinese players, no.3 seed Shi Yuqi and five-time champion Lin Dan would see a rematch of the All England final this year.
In the women's side of the draw, Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying is the woman to beat in the World Championships. The 24-year-old has swept five titles in six events this year, finishing with an astonishing 33 wins out of 34 matches.
Tai will also be aware that many players are itching to beat her, including China's He BingJiao who may challenge her in the quarterfinals and Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon, the only player who was beaten Tai this year.
Chen Yufei, seeded fifth, and another Chinese player Chen Xiaoxin may meet each other in the round of 16. Chen Yufei claimed a bronze medal in Glasgow last year and is looking to improve in Nanjing.
The host team has a big chance to dominate the mixed doubles event since the top two pairs are both Chinese. Top seeds and front-runners Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong paired up late last year and immediately struck gold, winning three titles in a row.
Second-seeded Wang Yilyu/Huang Dongping also kept good form as they won the gold in the Asia Championships. But the duo were drawn into a fiercely-contested bottom quarter, which will see All England champions Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino, European champions Chris and Gabrielle Adcock and Chinese young guns He Jiting/Du Yue fight for a place in the semis.
Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo have been the standout men's doubles pair for some time now, and they have been in outstanding form this season, winning four of the five events they participated in. The Indonesians are looking forward to carrying on their momentum in Nanjing.
China's two seeded pairs Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen and Liu Cheng/Zhang Nan were both drawn into the lower half of the draw. Li and Liu have produced a strong season, winning the Asian title and seeing China through to the Thomas Cup crown in a tense fourth match against Japan.
Liu and Zhang will kick off the tournament as title holders, but the duo is going through an inconsistent season in the last couple of months. If there is any chance for them, Zhang's rich experience in big events should be a resource they can rely on.
China has showed a remarkable dominance in women's doubles in the World Championships history, having won all but one title since 1983 - totaling 20 titles in 21 editions. However, the current world no.1 and defending champions Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan have had a disappointing year so far while Japanese players have demonstrated good form in recent international competitions.
The Rio Olympic champions Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi have been extremely consistent this year, winning the Indonesia Masters and the Malaysia Open, and finishing runners-up at the Asia Championships and the Thailand Open. Their teammates Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota also clinched three titles this season. If they do capture the title, it will be the first triumph for a non-Chinese pair since 1995.
Nanjing, an ancient city in eastern China, is the third city in the country to host the Badminton Word Championships after Beijing in 1987 and Guangzhou in 2013. Over 340 elite players from nearly 40 countries and regions will participate in the competition this week.
