Winner Lee Chong Wei (middle) with beaten finalist Lin Dan in 2014.
Smashing Stats: Swiss Open 2024
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
TEXT BY PREM KUMAR | BADMINTONPHOTO
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The 69-year-old Swiss Open is up next on the European leg of the HSBC BWF World Tour.
Here are some fascinating information about the Super 300 event.
Denmark are the most successful with 55 titles across all disciplines.
China, on 52, are the only nation within striking distance.
Five different countries have aced each singles discipline at the last five editions.
One of them is Spaniard Carolina Marin, the only top seed this year to have won her event (2021).
India are without a women’s doubles titlists but have two seeded pairs in Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa (No.6) and Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand Pullela (8).
Two of their seven winners – Srikanth Kidambi (2015) and Pusarla V. Sindhu (2022) – are in the draw this year.
Six other returning previous podium toppers are Koki Watanabe, Pornpawee Chochuwong, Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue.
Chai Biao/Hong Wei were the last to win successive times in 2014. Watanabe and Chochuwong stand to emulate them.
If they attain glory, Watanabe and Chochuwong will also be the first from their countries to be winners twice in a row.
Korea are going through a mini-drought, with their last crown coming in 2019 via women’s pair Chang Ye Na/Jung Kyung Eun.
Kim Ga Eun is seeded sixth in women’s singles, incidentally the only category they are yet to win.
Likewise, top seeds Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti are a good shout to win Indonesia their first women’s doubles title.
Malaysia are on a 15-year barren spell in men’s singles and doubles, having not celebrated titlists since Lee Chong Wei-Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong’s 2009 triumphs.
Seeds Lee Zii Jia (1), Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun (6) and Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin (8) have the potential to break that duck.
There are also five Malaysian pairs, including third seeds Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei and eighth seeds Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Jemie Lai in mixed doubles, a category they have never won.
Standout Stat: Men’s singles is the department that has not seen its holder defend the title the longest. It’s been 59 years since Dane Tage Nielsen won consecutive editions (1964-1965).