Momota, Marin Headline Badminton’s Return
Kento Momota, Anders Antonsen, Carolina Marin and Akane Yamaguchi are among a host of big names set to compete at the DANISA Denmark Open 2020, the first top-level badminton event in seven months.
· DEV SUKUMAR
When the Denmark Open starts on Tuesday 13 October 2020, it will mark a milestone in BWF and its partners’ attempts to get badminton going once again. Hosted in Odense, the Denmark Open is a HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750 event offering prize money of US$750,000. Although a few top teams such as China, Indonesia and Malaysia have withdrawn, the tournament won’t be lacking for star power. Adding to the excitement of fans will be the possibility of upsets given that players haven’t had any taste of international competition for several months now.
Leading the pack in men’s singles will be defending champion Kento Momota, who began the year brilliantly with victory at the PERODUA Malaysia Masters, only to be hospitalised after a serious accident on his way to the airport in Kuala Lumpur. Momota has reportedly recovered well, but having missed the DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters and the YONEX All England, the world champion will be hoping that he hasn’t lost his edge in the intervening period.
Heading the bottom half of the draw will be Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, runner-up to Viktor Axelsen at the All England.