KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coach Kenneth Jonassen believes the men's singles competition at the World Tour Finals (WTF) in Hangzhou, starting Wednesday, will be wide open with defending champion Viktor Axelsen absent due to a foot injury.
Two-time Olympic champion Axelsen's withdrawal leaves the door ajar for other top contenders, including world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China and world No. 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark, who have each claimed four World Tour titles this season.
Group A features top seed Antonsen, third seed Chou Tien Chen (No. 9), Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia (No. 8) and reigning Asian Games champion Li Shi Feng (No. 6).
In Group B, second seed Yu Qi, fourth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan (No. 7), Jonatan Christie of Indonesia (No. 4) and world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand (No. 5) will battle it out.
With every player in the field having won at least one title this year, Jonassen sees no clear favourite in Hangzhou.
"Looking at 2024, men's singles has been more open, with many players making an impact throughout the season. Not a single player has dominated the year," said Jonassen.
"I believe everyone in the field could be a contender at the WTF. It looks like each of them has something to prove or a strong incentive to deliver this week.
"It has also been a very long season with the Thomas Cup and Olympic Games also held this year.
"So, the question is—who still has the hunger and energy to prevail?"
Yu Qi and Antonsen will fancy their chances, having previously won the WTF in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
Zii Jia could be a dark horse as he seeks his maiden WTF title, motivated to deliver a parting gift for his outgoing coach, Wong Tat Meng.
Zii Jia begins his campaign against veteran Tien Chen in Group A on Wednesday.