The Korea Open is one of the seven Super 500 tournaments on the badminton BWF Tour. The tournament is played every year.
It has been hosted as an international tournament since 1991 before the competition was included in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Superseries level tournament in 2007. Currently, the tournament is organised by BWF and Badminton Korea Association jointly.
About
In 2018, the tournament will be played from September 25 to September 30 at SK Handball Stadium in South Korea’s capital Seoul. The total prize money of the tournament is $600,000.
Defending Champions
In the previous edition in 2017, Indonesia's Anthony Sin Ginting overcame his countryman Jonatan Christie in three games to win the Men’s singles title in the Korea Open. Then ranked 26th in the BWF World Rankings, Ginting defeated Christie 21-13, 19-21, 22-20 in the nail-biting final. Ginting also knocked out then the world number one player Son Wan-Ho of South Korea in the semi-final.
In the Women’s singles, India’s Pusarla V. Sindhu came victorious after defeating Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 22-20, 11-21, 21-18 in a thrilling encounter that lasted for one hour and 24 minutes.
Then ranked second in the world, Denmark's Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen defeated Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia 21-19,19-21, 21-15 in the men's doubles final.
In the women's doubles, China's Huang Yaqiong and Yu Xiaohan shocked everyone by lifting the trophy. Then ranked 123rd in the world, the Chinese pair beat then the world number one pair of Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the semi-final before seeing off then the world number three Chang Ye Na and Lee So Hee in the final by 17-21,21-18,21-14.
In the mixed doubles final, Indonesia's Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto beat China's Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping in the final by 21-17, 21-18.
Favourites
With all the top players being expected to participate in the Korea Open super series, current world number one player Viktor Axelsen along with All England champion Shu Yuqi, Son Wan Ho and Kidambi Srikanth will fight for the Men’s singles championship.
The old horses Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan will also try to redeem their past glory.
Meanwhile, the women’s singles promises more thrilling affair as all the top ten players including PV Sindhu, Carolina Marin, Akane Yamaguchi, Nozomi Okuhara are capable of beating one another on their days. However, the present world number one Tai Tzu Ying holds a slight edge over other women shuttlers.
In the Men’s doubles, the pairs of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, defending champion Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, Liu Cheng and Zhang Nan will be in the contention for the trophy.
The duo of Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi will fight for the glory in the Women’s doubles.
Currently ranked number one in the world Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir along with Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping will be the favourites going into the Mixed doubles contest.
