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Match Preview
YONEX
Swiss Open 2024
2024-03-19
to 2024-03-24
Source:
REUTERS/Henry Romero
The 2024
Swiss Open is set to commence on March 19, 2024, which is classified as a
Super300 level event. The total prize money for the tournament amounts to an
impressive US$210,000. While the Swiss Open may not feature an abundance of
well-known star players, the draw still promises several exciting matchups and
noteworthy players.
In the
men’s singles category, the top seed is Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, who will be
placed in the upper half of the draw. Joining him in the same half are India’s
Lakshya Sen and Singapore’s Lok Kian Yew. It is noteworthy that both Lok Kian
Yew and Lakshya Sen have previously faced Lee Zii Jia in the All England Open.
In the previous All England Open, Lee Zii Jia comfortably defeated Japan’s
Kodai Naraoka 2-0 in the first round. In the second round, he encountered the
11th-ranked player in the world, Loh Kean Yew, and swiftly defeated him in
straight games in just 33 minutes, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, Lee Zii Jia’s journey was cut short in the quarterfinals when he
lost 1-2 to India’s top player, Lakshya Sen, thus missing out on a spot in the
semifinals. The bottom half of the draw is led by the second seed, Nishimoto
Kenta from Japan. He may face fellow Japanese players Koki Watanabe or Takuma
Obayashi in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien
Chen is expected to compete with Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk-Yiu for a place in the
top four.
Based on
the analysis of the men’s singles draw, it is evident that the upper half
appears to have a stronger field compared to the bottom half. Moreover, the
upper half seems to mirror Li Zii Jia’s path to success in the previous All
England Open. Li Zii Jia is likely to face Lakshya Sen again in the
quarterfinals, presenting an opportunity for revenge. If Li Zii Jia reaches the
semifinals as intended, his potential opponent would be Loh Kean Yew, with whom
he has a favorable competitive history. It would be challenging for Loh to halt
Li Zii Jia’s progress, assuming he advances to the semifinals. In the bottom
half of the draw, Watanabe Koki is viewed as having a better chance of
progressing to the finals than his compatriot Kenta Nishimoto. Watanabe
performed well in the previous All England Open and reached the quarterfinals.
Despite this, the overall assessment indicates that the players in the bottom
half are comparatively weaker than those in the upper half. So, If Lee Zii Jia
can advance into the finals, he stands a significant chance of winning the
championship trophy.