Source:Visual China Group /Lu Lin/CHINASPORTS/VCG
[Saba Sports News] The 2024 Badminton World Tour Finals will ignite from December 11 to 15 in Hangzhou, China. According to the regulations of the Badminton World Federation, qualification for the year-end finals is granted to the top 8 players in the tour points ranking for that year. Taiwan’s top player Tai Tzu-Ying currently has 55,750 points, ranking 15th, and her chances of qualifying for the finals are now only theoretical. She must win both the upcoming Japan Badminton Masters and the China Badminton Masters. If she fails to secure victory, Indonesia’s top player Gregoria Mariska Tunjung will automatically qualify for the finals. Currently, Tai is struggling with a knee injury and is focusing on recovery. As her rehabilitation progress is not ideal, she officially applied for ranking protection from the Badminton World Federation yesterday, which means she will completely miss this year’s finals. The ranking protection mechanism allows athletes to maintain their world ranking without decline due to injury, pregnancy, or other legitimate reasons when they are temporarily unable to compete. Since this protection period lasts a minimum of 3 months and can extend up to 1 year, if she does not retire, Tai can only return at the earliest in January next year.