MEN’S DOUBLES | PROFILES
All England. At the Thomas Cup, they defeated the world number one, Lee and Yoo, and they got all the way to the final in the Japan Open and the Indonesia Open. Both times they were runners-up. They also became runners-up in last year’s Yonex Denmark Open. However, with a fully recovered Mohammad Ahsan, the Indonesians will as usual be among the big favorites.
Mathias Boe / Carsten Mogensen
Lee Yong Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong Korea – No. 1 in the world ranking (as of September 22 2014) Measured by the latest couple of seasons, there is no doubt that Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong are the best men’s doubles in the world. However, even the very best are not unbeatable. Even though the two Koreans have a huge lead in the world ranking, and even though they won the Japan Open, the Indonesia Open, and the Australian Open, coming into the LiNing BWF World Badminton Championships, they lost the final when their countrymen Ko Song Hyun and Shin Baek Choel put their winning streak to an end. Lee and Yoo are the defending champions of the Yonex Denmark Open, and they will get the chance for World Championship revenge when they play in Odense.
Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan Indonesia – No. 2 in the world ranking (as of September 22 2014) The 2013 world champions never got the chance to defend their title because a back injury forced Ahsan to withdraw. When they are free of injuries and back in shape, the Indonesian couple can defeat everyone. They ended last season by winning the Super Series Finals, and this season they won the
Denmark – No. 4 in the world ranking (as of September 22 2014) Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen have been the best men’s doubles in Europe for many years, and according to them, the Asian players do not like to play against their Danish style. Boe and Mogensen have found their way to several major finals with a strong attacking game and great tactical knowledge. In 2011 they won both the All England and the Super Series Finals. The following year they won silver at the Olympics in London, and last year they lost the final in the World Championship against the Indonesians Ahsan and Setiawan. This year they collected another medal at the Li-Ning BWF World Badminton Championships, reaching the semifinal on home ground. Although they have been defeated in the greatest finals, the Danes frequently win Super Series tournaments. In 2014 they have won both the Korea Open and the India Open, and as former Yonex Denmark Open champions, the expectations are high for Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen.
Ko Sung Hyun/Shin Baek Choel Korea – No. 9 in the world ranking (as of September 22 2014) These are the defending world champions, who won a memorable final at the Li-Ning BWF World Badminton Championships against countrymen Lee and Yoo. Three unbelievably close and entertaining sets made a reasonable season turn into a career high. One half of couple, 27-year-old Ko Sung Hyun, was also in a World Championship final in 2011, but back then he ended as runner-up. Ko and Shin have played together for a year. On their way to the World Championships, they managed to reach the semifinal only twice, in the All England and the Singapore Open. However, winning the Li-Ning BWF World Badminton Championships has brought them into the absolute top of the men’s doubles.
OUTSIDERS: Kenichi Hayakawa/Hiroyuki Endo (Japan), Kim Sa Rang/ Kim Gi Jung (Korea), Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan (China)
INTERESTING DANES: Mads Pieler Kolding/Mads Conrad-Petersen, Anders Skaarup Rasmussen/Kim Astrup Sørensen, Mathias Christiansen/David Daugaard
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