The Women’s doubles is laden with potential Asian winners, with 4 Chinese seeds and 2 Korean seeds in the top 8. 2 Danish and a Russian seeded is the only break in the Asian monopoly this year.
2007 World Championship Winners: Wei Yang and Jiewen Zhang
2008 Olympic Champions: Jing Du and Yang Yu
Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty
Last Tournament: Malaysian Open (Finalists)
2nd Round Opponents: Emelie Lennartsson and Emma Wengberg (SWE)
The top seeds are coming into the Worlds in a good vein of form. Making the last two finals they have entered (Malaysia and Indonesia), their only defeat was against the now 6th seeds Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli.
Their progression to the last 8 should be a simple one, before meeting Olympic Champions Jing Du and Yang Tu in the Quarter Finals.
Other Seeds to Watch:
Lee Kyung Won and Lee Hyo Jung
Last Tournament: Indonesian Super Series (Quarter Finals)
2nd Round Opponents: Chong Sook Chin and Woon Khe Wei (MAL)
The Olympic silver medalists are hoping to go one step further this year, however this year leaves little to believe they are the duo to beat this time around. No titles in 2009 and losing out consistently to higher seeds as well as unseeded couples in the finals.
Their big test will be in the Quarter Finals against Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli.
Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli
Last Tournament: Malaysian Open (Won)
2nd Round Opponents: Laura Choinet and Weny Rahmawati (FRA)
Their names have been mentioned in the previous two reviews, they are the form couple coming into the event with their stunning win over the top seeded Malaysians. They have also won the Indian Open in the last few months, they are definitely a partnership to watch the year.
Nina Vislova and Valeria Sorokina
Last Tournament: White Nights (Won)
2nd Round Opponents: Liu Fan Frances and Neo Yu Yan Vanessa (SIN)
The Russian couple comes in with almost no Super Series experience out with the European legs of the event. They are regulars on the EBU Circuit and with wins in their last three outings.
Their only real point of reference for most of the couples will be their matches in the Sudirman Cup, where they won all three of their matches. The second ranked couple on the EBU rankings will be one to watch this year