SINGAPORE — Singapore will send a six-member strong team to the 2023 KFF Singapore Badminton Open, led by former world champions Loh Kean Yew, reigning Commonwealth Games mixed doubles champions Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Yeo Jia Min and women’s doubles pair Crystal Wong Jia Ying and Jin Yu Jia.
Organised by the Singapore Badminton Association, the Singapore Badminton Open will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from June 6 to 11 and is a BWF World Tour Super 750 series event, where players will be battling it out for top honours and a slice of the US$850,000 prize purse and crucial Olympic ranking points.
Fans can expect top-notch action at the prestigious tournament throughout the week with all the current World No. 1s, along with multiple Tokyo Olympics gold medalists and Badminton World Federation World Champions.
The husband-and-wife pairing of Hee and Tan won Singapore a historic gold medal in the badminton mixed doubles event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. They beat home favourite England’s Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith 21-16, 21-15 after upsetting top-seeded Malaysian Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing 25-23, 21-18 in the semi-finals.
The duo, who have been competing in the Singapore Badminton Open for several years now, are eager to perform well in front of the home crowd.
“We started competing in the Singapore Badminton Open together since 2016, and it’s always great to play in front of the home support. Our partnership has come a long way since then, and we’re focused on improving and playing better with each tournament. It will be the same for the upcoming KFF Singapore Badminton Open and hopefully, we’ll be able to put on a great performance for our home crowd fans,” said Hee.
Current women’s singles number one Akane Yamaguchi, who has been in impressive form in recent years (including winning back-to-back titles in the BWF World Championships), will face a tough challenge from other players such as the world number three and 2020 Olympics champions Chen Yu Fei, South Korea’s An Se Young (world number two) and Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying (world number four and 2019 Singapore Badminton Open Champion).
“I’m excited to return to Singapore after not playing here for the past few years. While I’ve been playing well for the past few months, winning the KFF Singapore Badminton Open will be challenging since so many strong players will be competing,” shared Yamaguchi.
In the men’s singles category, reigning BWF World Champion Viktor Axelsen has confirmed his participation and defending Singapore Badminton Open champion Anthony Ginting, is currently ranked second in the world. The world’s fourth to sixth-ranked players – Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, and Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen – are also set to compete in the tournament.
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, with season ticket pricing ranging from S$120 to S$380 for season tickets.