King Cup International Badminton Open 2024: Lakshya Sen takes on world’s best in inaugural tournament
The badminton tournament, launched by Chinese legend Lin Dan, will see eight men’s singles players compete for the title.
Badminton
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen is one of the eight elite players set to compete in the King Cup International Badminton Open 2024 scheduled from December 27 to 29 in Shenzhen, the People’s Republic of China.
The inaugural edition of the badminton tournament, launched by two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China, will see eight men’s singles players battle it out for the prestigious title.
The King Cup International Badminton Open does not offer ranking points and is not a part of the BWF calendar.
Leading the star-studded field is Paris 2024 silver medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, the reigning world champion and world No. 5. Denmark’s world No. 2 Anders Antonsen is the top-ranked player in the competition.
World No. 12 Lakshya Sen, a Paris 2024 semi-finalist, 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore, Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong China and Frenchman Alex Lanier are also among the contenders.
Meanwhile, the Chinese challenge at the King Cup International Badminton will be spearheaded by two 18-year-old local boys Hu Zhe An and Wang Zi Jun - both ranked outside the top 100.
The 23-year-old Lakshya Sen will take on Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong China in his quarter-final match on Friday. The tournament will follow a single-elimination format, featuring 10 matches in total.
An exhibition game will pit legends Lin Dan against Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat against each other on Sunday. Lin Dan is the gold medallist at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics while Taufik Hidayat, now retired, is the Athens 2004 champion.
King Cup International Badminton Open 2024 players and draw
- Kunlavut Viditsarn (THA) vs Anders Antonsen (DEN)
- Alex Lanier (FRA) vs Wang Zi Jun (CHN)
- Angus Ng Ka Long (HKG) vs Lakshya Sen (IND)
- Hu Zhe An (CHN) vs Loh Kean Yew (SGP)
King Cup International Badminton Open 2024 schedule
- December 27, Friday: Opening round matches
- December 28, Saturday: Semi-finals and exhibition match
- December 29, Sunday: Third-place match, final and ‘King’s Showdown’