A look at men's singles title contenders at BWF World Tour Finals 2023

Published at :December 10, 2023 at 1:13 PM

Modified at :December 30, 2023 at 7:10 PM

(Courtesy : @ViktorAxelsen/@badminton__fess/Twitter)

Kunlavut Vitidsarn received direct entry by virtue of becoming world champion.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced the top eight players or pairs in each of the five disciplines who will compete in the prestigious BWF World Tour Finals 2023, one of the highlights of badminton’s annual calendar. The tournament which offers a total prize pool of $2.5 million, is the culmination of a year-long series of tournaments across the globe, where the players accumulate points based on their performances.

The BWF selects the best 10 results from each player or pair in the year to determine their qualification for the World Tour Finals. This selection process showcases the sport’s elite talent and consistency on a global stage, and is different from the standard world rankings, which are based on a 52-week rolling system.

List of men’s singles title contenders at BWF World Tour Finals 2023

Kodai Naraoka

Kodai Naraoka had a pretty consistent year. He started very well as the runner in the first Super 1000 tournament, the Malaysia Open. He had been reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals frequently but was void of a World Tour title. Surprisingly, his maiden title came from the last Super 750 tournament of the year at China Masters, where he was almost unbeatable.

The Japanese international won his maiden silver medal at the BWF World Championships 2023. Furthermore, he won his maiden bronze medal at BWF World Tour Finals 2023, losing out to the eventual winner, Viktor Axelsen.

Malaysia Open Super 1000: Runner-up
Singapore Open Super 750: Semifinals
Canada Open Super 500: Semifinals
Korea Open Super 500: Semifinals
Japan Open Super 500: Semifinals
China Masters Super 750: Winner

Jonatan Christie

Jonatan Christie featured prominently in the latter stages of the competition at the BWF World Tour 2023. After the India Open and Indonesia Masters, he was yet to reach any quarterfinals before the Indonesia Open in June. Furthermore, he lost to world no.1, Victor Axelsen in the final match of the Japan Open. He later became the only Indonesian player in 13 years to win the French Open title.

India Open Super 750: Semifinals
Indonesia Masters Super 500: Winner
Japan Open Super 750: Runner-up
China Open Super 1000: Semifinals
Hong Kong Super 500: Winner
French Open Super 750: Winner

Shi Yu Qi

The 2018 World Tour Finals winner, Shi Yu Qi, had a fair season and consistently featured in the latter stages of tournaments. He is yet to win any title this year with only BWF World Tour Finals left to be held. All England Championships and Japan Masters saw his best performances this year.

Indonesia Masters Super 500: Semifinals
Thailand Masters Super 300: Semifinals
All England Badminton Championships Super 1000: Runner-up
Korea Open Super 500: Semifinals
China Open Super 1000: Semifinals
Denmark Open Super 750: Semifinals
Japan Masters Super 500: Runner-up

Li Shi Feng

The 23-year-old youngster, Li Shi Feng, had a great year as he triumphed at one of the biggest tournaments the All England Badminton Championships. Moreover, the Chinese shuttler also won gold medals at Asian Games 2023 in individual as well as in men’s team event (not a part of BWF World Tour tournaments).

Thailand Masters Super 300: Semifinals
German Open Super 300: Runner-up
All England Badminton Championships Super 1000: Winner
Indonesia Open Super 1000: Semifinals
Canada Open Super 500: Runner-up
US Open Super 300: Winner
French Open Super 750: Runner-up

Viktor Axelsen

Defending champion, Viktor Axelsen, who needs no introduction had a fantastic year. Except for two tournaments where he faced defeats, he had won all of the other BWF World Tour tournaments that he participated in. Current world champion, Kunlavut Vitidsarn was the first shuttler to shock the WR-1 this season at India Open 2023 finals.

The second major upset on the Danish star was pulled off by NG Tze Yong at the All England Badminton Championships. He also missed out on medaling at the BWF World Championships in front of his home crowd after losing to HS Prannoy.

Malaysia Open Super 1000: Winner
India Open Super 750: Runner-up
Swiss Open Super 300: Semifinals
Indonesia Open Super 1000: Winner
Japan Open Super 750: Winner
China Open Super 1000: Winner
Japan Masters Super 500: Winner

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Anthony Sinisuka Ginting

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, Anthony Ginting, had a decent 2023 season. He had a better first half comparatively. Post his beloved mother’s loss, Ginting’s performance remained stagnant, but the points collected throughout the year was enough for him to make the cut.

India Open Super 750: Semifinals
Singapore Open Super 750: Winner
Indonesia Open Super 1000: Runner-up
Hong Kong Open Super 500: Semifinals

Anders Antonsen

The Danish No. 2, Anders Antonsen made the cut for the season-ending tournament after Kenta Nishimoto finished as runners up at China Masters helping him earn the last spot available. He had a dip in form post the All England Badminton Championships but a title at Korea Open 2023 gave him the much-needed momentum.

Lately, he reached quarterfinals of quite a few tournaments which was enough for him to make the cut for BWF World Tour Finals 2023.

All England Badminton Championships Super 1000: Semifinals
Spain Masters Super 300: Semifinals
Singapore Open Super 750: Runner-up
Korea Open Super 500: Winner
Arctic Open Super 500: Semifinals

Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Kunlavut Vitidsarn finished at ninth place but qualified by the virtue of becoming world champion. Furthermore, he became the first Thai men’s singles shuttler to win the BWF World Championship title. Prior to this, Vitidsarn marked a huge upset at India Open when he defeated WR-1 Victor Axelsen in the final match.

Malaysia Open Super 1000: Semifinals
India Open Super 750: Winner
Thailand Open Super 500: Winner
Singapore Open Super 750: Semifinals
US Open Super 300: Runner-up

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