A spectacular lineup of the top women players will be contesting the Uber Cup in Thailand. There are mouthwatering head-to-heads promised as 16 teams chase their dream of winning the Uber Cup. Can anyone stop China from keeping hold of the trophy for another 2 years?
Just like the Thomas Cup this tournament begins with a Round Robin. The top 2 from each pool of four then progress to the Death or Glory knockouts.
Group A: Japan, Indonesia, France, Germany.
Akane’s regeneration since the Olympics has been dazzling; now she has rediscovered her joy at simply playing badminton and with this squad I would expect the Japanese team to dominate all their encounters in group A. Once they get past this stage though, they will be tested. A fully fit Nozomi is one of the best players in the world but lately there are question marks around her recovery from recent injuries. In doubles FukuHiro are back and should be able to hold their own along with NagaMatsu. The athlete who potentially can provide the special ‘something’ for this team is Misaki Matsutomo. Currently with the team as a refugee from XD, her touch and vision could make the difference when the pressure is on. I still feel a gnawing regret that she is no longer full-time in the WD sector. As she has made the trip to Bangkok the implication is that she will be part of a scratch pair.
The puzzle in this group is who will come second. Indonesia has sent some of its lesser known players who are unlikely to go further. Germany’s players had an excellent European Championship, so this points to progress to the quarter finals ahead of France.
Group B: China, Taiwan, Spain, Australia.
This group holds the possibility of some fabulous ties. WANG Zhi Yi could be seen as China’s WS3 but her recent triumph over Akane in the singles final at the Badminton Asia Championships has highlighted what a talented player she can be. Along with new-look HE Bing Jiao, CHEN YuFei and in WD CHEN Qing Chen/JIA Yi Fan China’s athletes must be optimistic that they will be unbeaten through the entire tournament.
The battle for second place must be between Taiwan and Spain – both teams with an iconic singles player at their head. Carolina is back after her second major injury layoff and although she won the title at the European Championships she is 20% off her best. That still means she is an exceptional player, but she needs games to fine tune her net play and to eliminate mistakes. Rumours are swirling around that she wont be playing at all; she’s sitting out the first tie against Taiwan so after that we’ll have to wait and see. TAI Tzu Ying should be able to lead Taiwan to second place but the heavy-lifting of progress is going to come down to the desire and tactics of teammates of both superstars.
Group C: Thailand, Denmark, Malaysia, Egypt.
Thailand are in a tough group but if they can win it they must fancy their chances of a semi-final or better. In WS May and Mew along with Busanan are capable of great wins; in WD Prajongjai/Kitithatakul will face tough games against Denmark and Malaysia and these results could be crucial to their progress. I wish Popor was part of their squad.
It’s hard to write off Malaysia against Denmark for second spot. The Danes have the edge in singles, but doubles is more even. Analysts are favouring the Europeans, but Malaysia has talent; if they get their winning momentum then they could get through.
Group D: Korea, Canada, India, USA.
Korea must be strong favourites with their foundation of exceptional WD blended with AN Se Young in singles. None of the other 3 in this group will be able to equal them so once again the debate will be around who can come second. I’m hesitant about the Indian team; some of the selection decisions were controversial and it’s arguable that they have subsequently had no luck regarding injuries. Of course, PV Sindhu is one of the best singles players in the world, but she cannot win the trophy singlehanded. It’s so disappointing that the duo of Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand Pullela who were brilliant at the All England this year have had to withdraw. Canada’s team can challenge because they have a balance of good quality singles and doubles, and perhaps a bit more depth.
Conclusions
China must be confident that they can defend this trophy as they just ooze all-round quality. However, sport can be unpredictable and the Japanese team could upset Chinese hopes so long as they are all playing to their maximum. There’s so much to look forward to in this tournament including Group B H2H between TAI Tzu Ying and CHEN YuFei, Misaki guest-starring in Women’s Doubles, and – as usual – Nozomi cheerleading from the sidelines with the rest of BirdJapan by her side. It’s going to be great!
If you enjoyed this then take a look at my Thomas Cup preview here https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2022/05/05/thomas-cup-2022-preview/ or my recent article about TAI Tzu Ying here https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2022/03/02/tai-tzu-ying-at-the-all-england/
Images courtesy BWF and Alamy.
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