The badminton calendar for 2025 kicks off with a bang at the PETRONAS Malaysia Open, a Super 1000 event starting tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur.
The men’s singles draw features top Europeans such as Anders Antonsen, in top form and ready to defend the title, and Viktor Axelsen who has clinched the title twice before, facing Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in his opener. The French Popov brothers and Alex Lanier, who will meet Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in a tough first match, are also ones to watch.
In women’s singles, Mia Blichfeldt takes on the talented 18-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki, while Line Christophersen faces a difficult challenge against top seed An Se Young. Kirsty Gilmour makes a return to the world tour, her first appearance since last November’s HYLO Open.
The men’s doubles category boasts six European pairs, including Ben Lane/Sean Vendy and Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard. Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, now ranked world number one, face a potentially challenging first-round match against Wang Chi-Lin and his new partner Chiu Hsiang Chieh.
In mixed doubles, Robin Tabeling/Alexandra Bøje will be starting off the year in Malaysia too, while an all-European battle sees Mads Vestergaard/Christine Busch go head-to-head with Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue.
You can see the full draw and the order of play
here.
Stay tuned for more updates and surprises from the PETRONAS Malaysia Open.