This week, the World Junior Championships are being held in China, with individual competitions. We at Badminton Today have compiled a list of players to watch. While the first part covered singles players, this time we’ll focus on the young talents specializing in doubles.
In the boys’ doubles, just like in the senior categories, the competition is very tight. It’s hard to point to a clear favorite, as China, Malaysia, and Indonesia all appear very strong. However, if we had to highlight someone, it would be the home pair of Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi, the U19 Asian Champions, and the silver medalists from the same tournament, Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai. The Malaysians already made it to the podium at last year’s World Championships in Spokane and have since won an International Challenge event in the senior categories. If we look at the odds, these two pairs seem to stand out, but the Indonesian duo of Prasetya and Ramadhan proved during the team competition that they are also serious contenders. These three nations also have several other strong pairs, making it even harder to assess the balance of power.
It would be a surprise if the podium didn’t feature boys from these three nations, but we shouldn’t write off the Indian pair of Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu either, and Denmark’s young players, Otto Reiler and Robert Nebel, as well as Philip Kryger Boe and Jakob Clausen Jessen, could also cause surprises.
In the girls’ doubles, China and Japan have dominated the junior category recently. However, this year, Indonesia’s Isyana Syahira Meida and Rinjani Kwinara Nastine, who burst onto the scene in the team competition, are also contenders for the gold medal. In fact, they were so convincing at the Suhandinata Cup that many already consider them the top favorites. While their play left little to be desired, it’s important to note that a two-set match is quite different from last week’s competition. Along with the Indonesians, the Chinese pair of Chen Fan Shu Tian and Liu Jia Yue, who won the Junior Asian Championships this year, will also be fighting for the gold, and they are the top seeds in Nanchang. Of course, the defending champion, Aya Tamaki, is also among the contenders, this time teaming up with Ririna Hiramoto to try to reach the top again. The Malaysians, led by Carmen Ting and Ong Xin Yee, also have a good chance.
The dark horse role could be assigned to the strengthening French team, as the pair of Elsa Jacob and Camille Pognante could pose a real threat even to the strongest rivals. The United States is also rising in prominence, as demonstrated by their performance in the team competition and their silver medal in this event last year. However, they do not have a pair as strong as Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee this time around, so another podium finish would be a huge achievement for the Americans.
Last but not least, we come to the mixed doubles. Since 2018, China has been unbeaten in the World Junior Championships in this category, and they don’t plan on giving up the top spot this year either. They are fielding two highly ranked pairs, including the Asian Championship gold medalists Lin Xiang Yi and Liu Yuan Yuan, who are considered the top favorites. Interestingly, the first seeds of the tournament are not them, but the European pair of Tom Lalot Trescarte and Elsa Jacob, although a victory for the Europeans would be a huge surprise. On the other hand, the Indonesians, Darren Aurelius and Bernadine Anindiya Wardana, have already proven that they can compete at the highest level, even against the Chinese, when they are in peak form.
This event may offer the best chance for a European medal, as in addition to the „usual” Danish and French representatives, Czech, Turkish, and German duos are also among the seeded pairs.