Draws are revealed
Men's singles: SHI Yu Qi stands in the way of the French
At the Japan Open, SHI Yu Qi (No. 1, China) defeated Christo POPOV (No. 10) in the semifinals and Alex LANIER (No. 7) in the final to claim the title. In Paris, the French players will be keen to reverse the trend. Christo will have to wait until a potential round of 16 match to face the world No. 1. First, he will play Pang Fong PUI (No. 120, Macau) and could face NG Ka Long Angus (No. 22, Hong Kong) in the round of 32. Alex will start against Thailand's Kantaphon WANGCHAROEN (No. 47) before beginning his journey to the quarterfinals, where WENG Hong Yang (No. 11) appears to be the biggest threat. He could then face SHI Yu Qi or Christo POPOV in an all-French quarterfinal. LI Shi Feng (No. 4, China), Kodai NARAOKA (No. 8, Japan) and LOH Kean Yew (No. 9, Singapore) will try to clinch the second ticket to the semifinals.
On the other side of the draw, Toma Junior POPOV (No. 15) will be thrown straight into the deep end. Anthony Sinisuka GINTING (former world No. 2, Indonesia) will be the first to stand in his way, in a rematch of their encounter a year earlier at the Olympic Games (won by Toma Junior). The French player could face Anders ANTONSEN (No. 2, Denmark) in the round of 16. Defending champion Kunlavut VITIDSARN (No. 3, Thailand), Jonatan CHRISTIE (No. 5, Indonesia) and CHOU Tien Chen (No. 6, Taiwan) are the other big names in this part of the draw.
Women's singles: Who can stop AN Se Young?
The competition's favorite and defending champion AN Se Young (No. 1, South Korea) has been handed an easy draw until the quarterfinals, where she could face Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska TUNJUNG (No. 7, Indonesia). The spotlight is already on a potential semi-final between Olympic champions with CHEN Yu Fei (No. 4, China). The Chinese player will face the only French representative in the draw, Anna TATRANOVA (No. 90), who will be able to play without any pressure in front of her home crowd. Thailand's Pornpawee CHOCHUWONG (No. 6) and Ratchanok INTANON (No. 10) will try to cause an upset in the upper half of the draw.
On the other side of the draw, Akane YAMAGUCHI (No. 5, Japan) will try to prevent Chinese favorites HAN Yue (No. 3) and WANG Zhi Yi (No. 2) from reaching the final. The young Tomoka MIYAZAKI (No. 8, Japan) and the experienced PUSARLA V. Sindhu (No. 15, India) will also have a say in the outcome.
Men's doubles: a third title for SEO alongside KIM?
Our European champions Toma Junior and Christo POPOV (No. 19) have been handed a favorable first-round draw despite not being seeded (by one place). They will face Australians Keith Mark EDISON and Jack YU (No. 132). If they qualify, the level will go up a notch against Malaysians MAN Wei Chong and Kai Wun TEE (No. 7), who are exempt from the first round. Just above them, European Vice-Champions Éloi ADAM and Léo ROSSI (No. 39) will be favorites against Rory EASTON / Alex GREEN (No. 53, England). In the second round, they could face world No. 10 Leo Rolly CARNANDO and Bagas MAULANA (Indonesia). In this very dense part of the draw, world No. 1 KIM Won Ho and SEO Seung Jae (South Korea) are the ones to beat, with serious competitors such as Kim ASTRUP / Anders Skaarup RASMUSSEN (No. 5, Denmark) and Fajar ALFIAN / Muhammad Rian ARDIANTO (No. 4, Indonesia).
On the other side of the draw, Malaysians Aaron CHIA and SOH Wooi Yik (No. 2) will have to navigate a tough path to reach the final, with potential matches against Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH / Kittinupong KEDREN (No. 12, Thailand) then LIANG Wei Keng / WANG Chang (No. 6, China) and GOH Sze Fei / Nur IZZUDDIN (No. 3, Malaysia).
Women's doubles: LIU and TAN, the big favorites?
For their first World Championships together, Margot LAMBERT and Camille POGNANTE (No. 42) will face India's Priya KONJENGBAM and Shruti MISHRA (No. 39) in the first round. It promises to be a closely fought match that could see the French pair through to a gala second round against South Korea's BAEK Ha Na and LEE So Hee (No. 4) . At the top of the draw, few pairs seem capable of rivaling world No. 1 LIU Sheng Shu / TAN Ning (China), who could face their compatriots JIA Yi Fan and ZHANG Shu Xian (No. 6, China) in the quarterfinals.
On the other side of the draw, Téa MARGUERITTE and Flavie VALLET (No. 57) will face Sri Lanka's Hasini AMBALANGODAGE / Hasara WIJAYARATHNE (No. 101) in the first round, after which they could face Lanny Tria MAYASARI / Siti Fadia Silva RAMADHANTI (No. 14, Indonesia). All eyes are already on a potential semi-final between Pearly TAN / THINAAH Muralitharan (No. 2, Malaysia) and Japan's Nami MATSUYAMA / Chiharu SHIDA (No. 3).
Mixed doubles: FENG/HUANG on track for their first major title?
Thom GICQUEL and Delphine DELRUE (No. 8) have their sights set on the quarterfinals against world No. 1 FENG Yan Zhe and HUANG Dong Ping (China). Exempt from the first round, the French pair will first have to defeat the winner of the match between Fabricio FARIAS/Jaqueline LIMA (No. 57, Brazil) and Miha IVANČIČ/Petra POLANC (No. 78, Slovenia). Thom and Delphine could potentially face world No. 15 Ruttanapak OUPTHONG / Jhenicha SUDJAIPRAPARAT (Thailand) in the round of 16. At the top of the draw, CHEN Tang Jie / TOH Ee Wei (No. 4, Malaysia) and Asian champions TANG Chun Man / TSE Ying Suet (No. 5, Hong Kong) will battle it out for the second spot in the semifinals.
On the other side of the draw, Julien MAIO and Léa PALERMO (No. 36) will face Pakkapon TEERARATSAKUL / Phataimas MUENWONG (No. 48, Thailand). A victory would give them a superb match in front of their home crowd against world No. 6 GOH Soon Huat / LAI Shevon Jemie (Malaysia). The Malaysians seem best placed to prevent JIANG Zhen Bang / WEI Ya Xin (No. 2, China) from reaching the semi-finals, where they could face Thailand's Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH / Supissara PAEWSAMPRAN (No. 3).
The die is cast! Now it's time for the competition to determine who will be crowned the five new World Champions in Paris. To attend the matches from August 25 to 31 at the adidas arena, visit the ticket office.