The Unpredictable and Fascinating Development of Badminton Men’s Singles in the Post Lin Dan-Lee Chong Wei Era

Anthony Ginting (Indonesia, 21 years of age)

Anthony Ginting

When badminton fans thought that Momota was formidable, Anthony Ginting proves that the Japanese is a human after all. Ginting twice came close of defeating Momota with the Indonesian squandering an eight point-lead during the semi-final of the recent Asian Games’ Team’s Tournament.

Within a week, Ginting got his revenge by overcoming Momota in straight sets. His brilliant form continued in China Open, when he defeated Lin Dan, Viktor Axelsen, Chen Long, Chou Tien Chen, and Momota en route to winning his first ever major title. One should not be surprised by Ginting’s miraculous journey in Changzhou.

The Indonesian has demonstrated, in early this year when he won the Indonesian Masters, that he is a matured player now and fully capable of challenging elite players. Indonesians have dubbed him as the successor of their legend Taufik Hidayat, but Ginting can also easily be seen as the young Lee Chong Wei.

Ginting’s movement and pace on court are second to none, and his explosiveness has made his attacking shots much effective than before. The biggest room of improvement for Ginting is performing on a consistent basis, but that will come along with the young Indonesian competing in top-level competitions in the years to come.

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Despite Lin Dan’s sharp decline and Lee Chong Wei’s battle with illness, the world badminton has not lost its aura, mainly because during this period of transition we have seen the rise of five incredibly talented players – Srikanth Kidambi, Viktor Axelsen, Shi Yuqi, Kento Momota and Anthony Ginting. With each has had their respective dominating period, the discipline of men’s singles is no longer a bipolar one.

Instead, it has become more unpredictable and competitive, as fans not only are curious as to who are the favourites in building up to Tokyo Olympics, but also if there would be new stars in the rising in the foreseeable future? This trend would benefit the development of badminton, as promising shuttlers from different countries are vying for prominence, thus making the sport more competitive and enjoyable.

Let’s hope that this fascinating trend in men’s singles continues as we edge closer to the beginning of the qualification for the Tokyo Olympics next year.