Singapore Badminton Open 2013: Draw, Dates, Full Schedule and Favorites
The Li-Ning Singapore Open got its start in 1987 as a large-scale tournament for some of badmintonโs greatest players.
Since the inaugural event, the Singapore Open has continued to grow, now representing one of the biggest and most prestigious badminton tournaments of the year.
As noted on the tournamentโs official website, the Singapore Open is a terrific event for promoting the sport, and itโs also a tremendous opportunity for both sponsors and players to gain exposure.
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This yearโs tournament will take place in the Singapore Indoor Stadiumโa venue perfectly suited for a major badminton event.
The venue has played host to a number of entertainment and sporting events, and has been the home of the Singapore Open since 2004.
Juliane Schenk and Boonsak Ponsana enter the tournament as defending champions, but thereโs plenty of tough competition standing in the way of a repeat performance.
With full fields of 32 players in each draw, winning the Singapore Open will require a lot of skill and a little luck.
Letโs take a look at the draws from the menโs and womenโs singles tournaments, as well as the full schedule and a few players to keep an eye on as the tournament starts up on June 18.
Where: Singapore Indoor Stadium,ย Singapore City
When: June 17 (qualification) to June 22 (finals)
Draws
Menโs Singles
| Pengyu Du (1) |
| Anand Pawar |
| Chen Yueken |
| Marc Zwiebler |
| Tien Minh Nguyen |
| Lin Dan (Withdrawn)* |
| Dionysius Hayom Rumbakaย |
| Tanongsak Saensomboonsukย |
| Kenichi Tago (4) |
| Ajay Jayaramย |
| Mohamad Arif Abdul Latifย |
| Rajiv Ousephย |
| Zhengming Wang (8) |
| Daren Liewย |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Tommy Sugiartoย |
| Kazumasa Sakaiย |
| Simon Santosoย |
| Takuma Uedaย |
| Kashyap Parupalli (7) |
| Sho Sasakiย |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Chun Seang Tanย |
| Sony Dwi Kuncoro (3) |
| Sourabh Varmaย |
| Wing Ki Wongย |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Boonsak Ponsana (5) |
| Wei Feng Chongย |
| Gurusaidutt R. M. V.ย |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Yun Hu (2) |
Womenโs Singles
| Xuerui Li (1)ย |
| Sashina Vignes Waranย |
| Nichaon Jindaponย |
| Belaetrix Manuputiย |
| Ji Hyun Sung (6) |
| Sindhu P. V.ย |
| Pui Yin Yipย |
| Sapsiree Taerattanachaiย |
| Juliane Schenk (3) |
| Tsz Ka Chanย |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Yui Hashimotoย |
| Minatsu Mitaniย (8) |
| Adrianti Firdasariย |
| Tzu Ying Taiย |
| Aprilla Yuswandariย |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Petya Nedelchevaย |
| Yeon Ju Baeย |
| Shixian Wangย (7) |
| Sayaka Takahashiย |
| Carolina Marinย |
| Busanan Ongbumrungpan |
| Yihan Wang (4) |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Lindaweni Fanetriย |
| Qualification Player TBD |
| Ratchanok Intanon (5) |
| Porntip Buranaprasertsukย |
| Eriko Hiroseย |
| Juan Guย |
| Saina Nehwal (2) |
*Full draw information can also be found here.
Schedule
| Monday, June 17ย | 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. ET | Qualifying Rounds |
| Tuesday, June 18 | 9 p.m. to 10 a.m. ET | Preliminary Rounds |
| Wednesday, June 19 | 2 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET | Round of 16 |
| Thursday, June 20ย | 3 a.m. to 10Ca.m. ET | Quarterfinals |
| Friday, June 21 | 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. ET | Semifinals |
| Saturday, June 22 | 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. ET | Finals |
*For full schedule with local times, visit SingaporeBadmintonOpen.sg.ย
Players to Watch
Juliane Schenk
Schenk took down the 2012 Singapore Open with an impressive run that culminated in a 21-11, 26-24 victory over Cheng Shao-Chieh in the finals. This year, the German will set her sights on defending her title against a strong field of competitors.
Last year's win is the only Super Series title of Schenk's career to date, but she's been playing extremely well of late.
On Saturday, she defeated three-time Indonesia Open winner Saina Nehwal in the tournament's semifinals to secure a berth in the finals and a chance to build significant momentum heading into the Singapore Open.
The No. 3 seed in the tournament, Schenk may find herself facing No. 2 Nehwal again this week, though she'll likely have to get past top-ranked Xuerui Li to set up that rematch.
Boonsak Ponsana
The second half of the returning champions duo, Ponsana, enters the tournament as the No. 5 seed, with a first-round matchup yet to be determined.
Following the qualifying round, Ponsana's tournament path will become clearer, though several top-ranked opponents litter his half of the draw.
The Thailand native continues to find success at the Singapore Open, winning in 2007 before recapturing the title last year. In 2009 and 2010, the 31-year-old posted runner-up finishes, and stands to make another big splash this year.ย
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