Olympic champion Lin Dan will spearhead a strong field for next month's Hong Kong Open Super Series tournament, but home favourite Wang Chen may be unable to defend her singles title.
The top 10 men's players including Lin, who won the National Games title last week, world No 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, Peter Gade of Denmark and Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia have confirmed their participation in the HK$2 million tournament, which will take place at Queen Elizabeth Stadium from November 9 to 15.
However, Wang, who became the only home player to win a title at the Hong Kong Open when she captured the women's singles crown last year, is still nursing an injury and receiving treatment in Shanghai.
'She has not played since mid-September, but is on her way to recovery and has a 70 per cent of making the Hong Kong Open,' coach Chan Chi-choi said. 'We want to see her play in front of the home fans, but have to monitor her progress as the tournament is just three weeks away.'
The coach said the main target was the East Asian Games in December and he would not force Wang to take part if she was not fully fit.
'The Games is the first major multi-sport competition to be held in Hong Kong and badminton is making a comeback after missing out in the programme on the last two occasions. We must treat it as our top priority, rather than the annual Hong Kong Open,' he said.
