The draw for the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2023, which was conducted in Hangzhou today, saw the big guns set to face off in men’s doubles Group A. World No.1 Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang take on 2022 world champions Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, defending champions Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi and 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi.

Group B features Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, world champions Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana.

At the end of the group stage, the top two pairs/players from each group will progress into the semifinals.

Meanwhile, men’s singles world No.1 Viktor Axelsen’s quest for an unprecedented fifth season finale title will be challenged in his group by 2018 champion Shi Yu Qi, LI-NING China Masters 2023 champion Kodai Naraoka and KFF Singapore Open 2023 winner Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.

Axelsen is tied at four titles with Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei and is favourite at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2023, which begins on Wednesday.

Group B has Jonatan Christie, Li Shi Feng, Anders Antonsen and world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Women’s doubles Group A too has some notable firepower, in the form of world champions Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan, two-time world champions Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara, Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti and emerging pair Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning.

Group B has 2021 champions Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong, their compatriots Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee, 2021 runners-up Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida, and Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai.

Kento Momota’s record of 11 titles in a calendar year will be on An Se Young’s mind when she begins her Group A assignments against three-time Finals winner Tai Tzu Ying, compatriot Kim Ga Eun and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

In Group B, Carolina Marin will look to win the only major title that has eluded her. Standing in her way will be 2019 winner Chen Yu Fei, Han Yue and Beiwen Zhang.

Group B in mixed doubles will see yet another face-off between the World Championships finalists Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong and Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung. The other challengers in the group are Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Eun and Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet.

Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping, winners of seven World Tour events this season, will be favourites to top Group A; others in the group include Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino, Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei and two-time winners Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai.