Anthony Ginting and Jonatan Christie out to top the class at Indonesia Open 2019
Live streaming: Indonesia's two great badminton hopes are in action at their home tournament a year away from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Watch the event live on Olympic Channel.
Badminton
The Indonesia Open 2019 is on from 16 to 21 July at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Sports Palace in Jakarta.
It is a BWF World Tour 1000 event carrying a purse of $1,250,000, and you can watch it live on the Olympic Channel from the quarter-finals stage.
Click here for live streaming (There may be some restrictions depending on where you are in the world).
The best in the world have descended upon the Indonesian capital with the men's top five: Kento Momota, Shi Yuqi, Chou Tien-chen, and Chen Long all in action.
Only Viktor Axelsen hasn't made the party, the Danish World No.5 announced recently that he's out of badminton indefinitely with injury.
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting's moment?
Indonesia have two shuttlers playing for home glory in the men's singles competition, 7th seed Anthony Ginting and 6th seed Jonatan Christie.
Ginting will be keen to prove all that early promise in front of a partisan Indonesian crowd.
He's off to a decent start too, defeating China's Lu Guang-Zu 20-22, 23-21, 21-18 in his opening match, despite causing a few heart flutters by losing the first set.
Last year he lost to World No.1 Kento Momota in the second round, this year he'll face Momota in the quarter-finals if both make it that far.
With a boisterous crowd behind him in the Indonesian capital, Ginting will be determined to exact his revenge on the Japanese star shuttler, but that'll be no stroll down Ancol Beach boulevard.
Momota is world no.1, world champion, top seed and defending champion, there's no doubt that he's the man to beat.
The Japanese star won the prestigious All-England Super 1000 in March and the Singapore Open Super 500 in April this year, two of the biggest events on the Tour.
Ginting and his friend and rival Christie got together to cheer on Indonesia, and themselves at the tournament - and also to sell some avocado juice.
But when both step on the court, that's where the friendship ends.
Jonathan Christie to steal Ginting's thunder again?
Jonatan Christie will be a challenge for compatriot Ginting, top seed Momota, and everyone else at the Indonesia Open.
After a stellar 2019 so far the 21-year-old is on a meteoric rise through the world badminton ranks.
Christie actually beat his teammate and tour roommate Ginting in the all-Indonesia final of the Australian Open this year, how the local crowd would love to see a repeat of that fine feat here.
Last time around at this tournament Christie crashed out to Viktor Axelsen in the first round - tough draw - but that won't happen this year as Axelsen is out of action for now.
Christie sent the home crowd into raptures at the Jakarta-Palembang 2018 Asian Games last year when he upset Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 20-22, 21-15 in the final to win the men's singles title.
No one had won it at home since the legendary Taufik Hidayat in 2006.
Anthony Ginting may have knocked out world champion Kento Momota and Olympic gold-medallist Chen Long en route to bronze, but Christie stole the show by winning gold.
When he took off his shirt and threw it to the crowd, half of Indonesia swooned and Christie went viral.
It's been a good start for Indonesia's latest racquet-wielding wizard, he beat Danish shuttler Rasmus Gemke in straight sets 21-17, 24-22, on Day 1, July 16.
Next up for Christie is another Dane, 33-year-old Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus in the round of 16 and if he passes that test he'll face the winner of Lin Dan vs. Kento Momota in the quarter-finals.
Remember, you can watch the 2019 Indonesian Open from the quarter final stage on Olympic Channel's Live Stream.
(There may be restrictions depending on where you are in the world so click to check)
Super Dan is back - again
He must have lost count of how many times people have written him off as past his best, but Lin Dan just keeps bouncing back.
In April 2019 China's two-time Olympic badminton gold medallist beat current World No.2 Shu Yuqi in the semi-final and Rio 2016 champion Chen Long in the final to take the Malaysia Open.
It was the 35-year-old's first title since last May's New Zealand Open, and his first big success since the 2017 Malaysia Open.
"I think the bad times are over," he said afterwards.
Could he cause another upset in Jakarta?
With the retirement of Lee Chong Wei, Super Dan is the last man standing of his generation, and ranked 15th in the world right now he's the underdog.
But you get the feeling that's the way Lin Dan likes it, as he bids to bow out in style at Tokyo 2020.
Chen Yufei: Unstoppable?
All England Open, Swiss Open, Australian Open, Chen Yufei is on fire.
Can anyone beat her?
Yes.
Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu-ying is World No.1 and defending champion.
Tai beat Chen in last year's final and has also won the Malaysia Open in May and Singapore Open in June 2019.
With no reigning Olympic champ Carolina Marin (Who's recovering fast) to challenge these two, don't be surprised to see a replay of that final this time around.
Carolina is clearly missing the action and one of her favourite tournaments, come back soon Caro!
She tweeted this:
Injury is aging Carolina Marin
Has Carolina really been out that long?
"This injury is really making me older."
(We suspect the FaceApp #Agechallenge is involved here)
India back on track?
India's Rio 2016 silver medallist PV Sindhu hasn't won a title all season and will be out to remedy that situation in Jakarta.
In 2018 Sindhu was the only Asian athlete in the Forbe's top ten female athlete earners in the world but hasn't been herself of late.
The Hyderabad hero has failed to reach a single final so far this season and has made it to only two semi-finals in six tournaments.
Her last podium-topping effort was at the World Tour Finals last December.
"It has not been really great. I think I have to do much better. I have worked on mental as well as physical fitness. I have been working out on my skills a lot more" - PV Sindhu
The 24-year-old won her first match of the 2019 Indonesian Open against Japan's Aya Ohori - ranked 21st in the world - but had to battle for it.
Sindhu lost the first set 11-21 before finding her feet to take victory with two straight 21-15, 21-15 sets.
Next up is a real test for India's star shuttler as she faces a hungry young Mia Blichfeldt from Denmark who recently won the European Games.
If Sindhu passes her Danish exam then World No.2 Nozomi Okuhara will likely be waiting in the quarterfinals.
Saina Nehwal is the only Indian to win a title this season at Malaysia Masters earlier in the year, but didn't make it to Indonesia as the 29-year-old is suffering with various injuries.
Mia Blichfeldt - Dark horse?
Keep an eye on Danish young gun Mia Blichfeldt who won the 2019 European Games in Minsk a few weeks ago.
Her all-action style is great to watch and she told Olympic Channel in Minsk that she "hates to lose".
Defeating PV Sindhu in the next round would be a big step for the 21-year-old.
Watch this space!
Indonesia's Minions
Look out too for Indonesia's lovable double act Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon in the men's doubles.
The diminutive duo nicknamed the "Minions" owing to their stature won gold at the Asian Games too, beating fellow Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, the celebrations were something to behold.
Sukamuljo and Gideon collapsed to the floor as the crowd went crazy.
Should they go far in this tournament expect the party to start again in the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Sports Palace.