Sabasports Match Preview
Macau Open Badminton 2024
2024-09-24 to 2024-09-29
Source: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
Macao Open Badminton 2024 (Super 300) will take place from September 24 to 29. This event has attracted a record number of 375 players from 30 countries and regions, making it the largest in its history. Additionally, the total prize money for this year’s event is as high as $210,000.
In the men’s singles, the top seed and currently ranked 14th in the world, Lee Cheuk Yiu from Hong Kong, will lead the top half of the draw. Also in the top half are the third seed Chi Yu Jen, the fifth seed Kantaphon Wangcharoen, and the seventh seed Jason Teh Jia Heng, among other strong competitors. As the top seed, Lee Cheuk Yiu, born in 1996, is already an experienced player whose strength should not be underestimated. He tends to play a fast-paced attacking style, with aggressive play being a significant feature of his game. He excels in offensive capabilities and has good speed and acceleration. However, apart from his speed and attack, his performance in other areas is relatively average, and his mental toughness is a weakness that affects his overall performance. Nevertheless, considering the overall strength of the players in the top half, Lee Cheuk Yiu should have a good chance of advancing.
In the bottom half of the draw, the second seed and currently ranked 21st in the world, Angus Ng Ka Long, also from Hong Kong, poses the biggest threat to Lee Cheuk Yiu. Although there are other seeded players in the same half, such as Srikanth Kidambi, Su Li Yang, and Alwi Farhan, their strength is unlikely to pose a significant challenge to Angus Ng. Ng is also considered an experienced player from Hong Kong, primarily focusing on a combination of drop shots and aggressive plays. His net play is extremely delicate, often breaking through opponents’ defenses after controlling the net. However, Ng’s physical fitness is average, which affects his footwork and mental resilience; he does not have strong speed variation on the court. As a result, he often grinds out points rather than decisively finishing off opponents during crucial moments. This leads to him being able to endure long rallies but lacking agility, often reaching tiebreaks but failing to secure critical points.
Overall, based on the strength of the players in both halves of the draw, Lee Cheuk Yiu and Angus Ng appear to be the two most likely candidates to win the tournament. Both are players from Hong Kong and have faced each other seven times so far, with Angus Ng holding a dominant record of six wins to one loss. Their most recent encounter was at the Malaysia Badminton Masters in May this year, where Angus Ng defeated Lee Cheuk Yiu 2-0 with scores of 21-19 and 21-15. Therefore, if they do meet in the finals, we believe Angus Ng will still have the upper hand.