Swiss Open to feature more new pairings

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) yesterday released the initial entry lists for next month’s Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold.  Much moreso than even the Malaysia Open or the German Open, the Basel event is to be the testing ground for numerous new pairings in all three doubles disciplines.

In men’s doubles, while the Chai Biao / Hong Wei partnership will get a preview in Germany two weeks prior, Thailand will field Issara Bodin with veteran Sudket Prapakamol in a brand-new pairing.  Closer neighbours will also get into the same groove as Austria’s Jurgen Koch will team up with European Championship runner-up Michael Fuchs of Germany.

The biggest surprise in women’s doubles will definitely be Wang Xiaoli becoming Bao Yixin’s fourth partner in five months.  Reika Kakiiwa and Yuki Fukushima will also have their debut in a BWF ranking event after competing in the Djarum Superliga earlier this month. Two weeks after Greysia Polii gets started in a new pairing, her former partner Meiliana Jauhari will try her hand alongside mixed doubles specialist Liliyana Natsir.

The highest notional ranking for a new mixed doubles pairing goes to Thailand’s Kunchala Voravichitchaikul and Sudket Prapakamol, who will each participate with their existing, long-time partners in the German Open and All England respectively, although Sudket will have three partners in each of the three weeks in Europe.  Several others will be newer pairings but will already have had their debuts in the previous weeks, though Bodin Issara / Peeraya Munkitamorn may well have to wait until the Swiss Open to make it off the reserve list.

Click here to download the complete entry lists from the BWF website