Malaysia Open 2025 predictions!

2025 is just getting started. Already the first HSBC world tour event is getting underway, the Malaysia Open! Starting on the 7th of January this will be the first glimpse of the top players in 2025. Can KL start the season off with a bang?

We think so!

Who will be crowned champions at the Malaysia Open?

In men’s singles the top 4 seeds are Shi Yuqi, Anders Antonsen, Jonatan Christie, and Viktor Axelsen. The current top 4 in the world ranking. These players all had a strong 2024 but have something to prove this year.

Shi Yuqi ranked number 1 but is losing 9-3 on H2H to Viktor. Can he prove he is better than the Dane? Does Viktor still have the hunger to grind out 3 set victories? Will Christie ever be consistent? A great Asia champs and All-England title but terrible Olympics and many ‘nearly’ victories. Can Anders stay fit, retain his title, and claim the top Danish player spot?

This is the first tour event since the somewhat controversial world tour finals. Lee Zi Jia stood out but withdrew with an injury. Zi Jia looked like a serious contender to win the tour finals. Now it has been announced he will not compete in KL so could compatriot Leong Jun Hao take the crown on home soil?

There are a few hot players flying under the radar. Alex Lanier of France claimed victories over all the top players in 2024. Vitidsarn who is still the reigning World Champion and Olympic silver medallist. Kodai Nareoka will want to avenge his poor performance at the world tour finals in December.

The past 3 winners of the tournament have all been Danish players, Anders Antonsen in 2024 and Viktor in 2023 and 2022. Some players favor certain competitions and I think that is the case for Anders in Malaysia. Not to mention he arrived a week early in Malayisa for extra training. He seems ready to go. My $10 bet is on Anders Antonsen to retain the Malaysia Open!!

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Womens singles

The women’s singles sees An Se Young, Wang Zhi Yi, Han Yue and Gregoria Tunjung placed as the top seeds. The absence of Akane Yamaguchi (calf injury) and Chen Yufei (retiring?) is a blow. The two Chinese stars dominated the world tour finals with an all-Chinese final. They also beat An Se Young and Tunjung in the process, could this be an example of what is to come this season? An Se Young has been living out her own Kdrama since the Olympics. Can she stay focused and has her training been sufficient?

The break through player of 2024, Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki, will have a chip on her shoulder as the 18 year old was the almost girl so often in the second half of last season. She needs to prove she can beat the top players and this could be the best time to do it! Could Mia Blichfeldt continue her renaissance under the Popov coaching regime and claim victory?

Thai Star Ratchanok Intanon has been somewhat forgotten in the past few years. At the end of last season, she had some great 3 set matches with An Se Young and beat the top 5 players. Could she remind everyone why she should be feared?

While it is fun to think an underestimated player could surprise us all, the reality says there is a big gap between the top players and the chasing pack. My pick is An Se Young to retain her Malaysia Open title, An Se Young is too strong, $10 on the Korean.

Mens doubles

Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang are the reigning Malaysia Open champions from 2024. Seeded 2nd this year gives them a great opportunity to retain their title. They are joined by Astrup and Rasmussen of Denmark as first seeds, Home favourites Goh and Izzuddin and Alfian and Ardianto of Indonesia. Astrup and Rasmussen are getting older but still have a tight grip on the top spot winning the tour finals in December.

Goh and Izzuddin have a point to prove, winning 3 titles in 2024 including the China Masters. They are still tied in a fight with Compatriots Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik for top spot in Malaysia. Will that pressure help or hinder them?

Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto had a disappointing year by their standards. They missed out on Olympic glory in Paris but were able to pick up the All-England crown and Kumamoto 500 title in Japan. They have already proven themselves but are seeing younger Indonesian pairs starting to chase them down. Can they hold them off?

There are some outsiders with a chance like the Indian pair Rankireddy and Shetty. Former number ones but now without Boe as their head coach they have dropped down the rankings. Could they start a comeback in Malaysia? The Chinese pair of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu have shown great form over the last year. They have a good shot at some upsets in Malaysia. They won the Singapore Open and lost the China Open final last year so they can do it on the biggest stage.

Men’s doubles is definitely the category Malaysia have the best chance of success with two seeded entries and four unseeded!

So my pick is Fifth seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to be crowned Malaysia Open Champions. $10 on them for the win!!!

Womens Doubles

The first thing to note about the Women’s doubles is the amount of top pairs missing from this competition, 4 of the top 10 and 9 of the top 20 pairs aren’t competing. There are a lot of new partnerships though so this could provide us with some interesting results!

Top seeds in Malaysia are Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China. They are joined by Beak Ha Na and Lee So Hee of Korea, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan on home ground and compatriots Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min.

Pearly and Thinaah had a good season in 2024 but their trophy cabinet is still relatively empty. Three finals last year and 1 title is off the pace of the other top pairs above them. They will be encouraged by the home fans in KL and could really cause an upset, can they deal with the pressure?

Liu and Tan are undoubtly the best womens doubles pair in the world currently. In 2024 alone they picked up 3 top titles. They would have expected to bring back the gold for China at the Olympics as well but fell to compatriots Li and Luo in the final. Liu and Tan will be eager to show why they are number one and maintain their top spot. Li and Luo likewise will want to prove themselves again to ensure no one think that Olympic title had any luck about it.

There are some outside shouts for victory to consider. The Aimsaard sisters from Thailand could be a problem. They have had injury set backs over the past few seasons which has stopped them from competing. Hopefully they can be back to their best in 2025. Kim Hye Jeong and Kong hee Yong could also have a good competition. The new pair will be out to continue their good start two quarter finals and 1 title already secured. They will be a pair to avoid for the seeds.

Last season was disappointing for Jolly and Pullela of india. Injury problems affected Olympic preparation resulting in missing out on the games as well as affecting their performances on the tour. You can be assured they will want to show everyone they are back to their best.

The winners? In my book, you can’t look past the classy Koreans Beak Ha Na and Lee So Hee. So confident on the court, they had a disappointing Olympics last year but still took home four titles, including the tour finals in December. This is where my money goes!

Mixed Doubles

The mixed doubles seeding is heavily dominated by China. Even with the Olympic champion and tour finals winners retiring they still occupy the top two ranking places. Complete domination from China. This is compounded by 6 of the top 10 pairs not competing in Malaysia. That will make it even more likely for a Chinese full sweep.

The top two seeds are Chinese pairs Feng and Huang & Jiang and Wei. Seeded alongside hometown hopefuls Chen and Toh & Goh and Lai. It is tough to make predictions about this situation. So many top pairs are out, it feels like the two Chinese pairs have it all in their hands. In the tour finals last month Chen and Toh did manage to clinch the runner-up place but didn’t beat the Chinese pairs.

The Malaysians will be on home soil so could take some motivation from that. Other than these top 4 seeds there are very few real challenges currently. Indonesian pair Dejan FERDINANSYAH and Gloria Emanuelle WIDJAJA reached two finals in the last year. They also beat the top two Malaysian pairs in the tour finals. They still failed to deliver a title and struggled against Chinese opponents. The new Hong Kong pair Tang and NG could make an impact but they haven’t competed at all together which would make it very difficult to win this season opener. The Europeans Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue have an opportunity with a thinned draw to have a stronger impact.

My money is still firmly on the Chinese pairs. If I had to bet I would put my $10 on Feng and Huang who have a 14-2 H2H record on their compatriots.

A true badminton fan? Want to know about the stars of the future? Check out our evaluation of the recent European Jr Championships!!

A rivalry to enjoy at the Malaysia Open?

If they can both make it to the semi the Christie VS Shi Yuqi rivalry will provide more fireworks with every match they play being super close and entertaining. This does rely on both winning all their matches which is not assured. If we are talking about early rounds, the Lanier vs Vitidsarn first round match would be my pick. The first time the players meet. Lanier the hottest break through player on the tour against the reigning world champion who is only 24 himself. This could be the start of a great rivalry.

Womens singles

In Women’s singles I am looking to a potential Quarter-final match between Chinese rivals Gao and Wang. These compatriots faced each other 4 times last year, Wang taking the H2H 3-1 but Gao did win their last match which will give her hope. The Chinese team is so strong the tension between players will only get stronger.

This does rely on both players to reach the quarter-final so if you are looking for some good first round action I would turn to Mia Blichfeldt vs Tomoka Miyazaki. We saw a rejuvenated Mia Blichfeldt last year after she joined team Popov claiming two 300 titles. The biggest draw back for Mia has been her inability to perform at the top events, losing to unexpected players. Tomoka is the hot new thing in Women’s singles with a great 2024. She has beaten top players, claimed titles and has eyes on the top of the sport. In 2024 they played once with Tomoka claiming victory but we know Mia can bring the fire for revenge.

Mens doubles

There is a tasty first round match Alfian and Ardianto against Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. The fourth seeds for the competition are ranked 20 places above their Malaysian rivals and lead on H2h 7-5. This is not the full story however as the Malaysian pair won the last two matches. Their matches together also tend to go the distance so this is our pick for an upset. Another $10 on this match please!!

Womens doubles

There are a few underlying rivalries in women’s doubles that are becoming quite interesting. There is the rivalry in India between Jolly and Pulella against Ponnappa and Crasto. They had a huge rivalry for the Olympic spot last year. That would have to be in the final, though, which is unlikely. There is a sister showdown in the first round between the Aimsaards and Panadas, which would be interesting, except the Thai pair will likely have way too much for it to be competitive.

The one rivalry I would like to see play out in Malaysia would be between the two Korean pairs, the new Kim and Kong pairing against the Beak and Lee in the quarter-finals. That has the potential for fire works with all the players competing at the top level being ranked in the top 20 together or with other partners and the Korean federation wants the focus taken off An Se Young.

Mixed Doubles

In the first round, there is a good rivalry brewing. The French pair Gicquel and Delrue will take on Danish pair Vesteergaard and Busch. Only one previous encounter going to the French could turn into a tasty rivalry with the underlying France versus Denmark debate and competition between the pairs to be the top European pair. Now that the Dutch pair Tabling and Piek are retired along with the suspension of Christensen for Denmark these are now the top two ranked pairs in Europe.

Stay up to date with the tournament on the BWF official website!

One to Watch at the Malaysia Open?

The hottest prospect in Men’s singles right now has to be Alex Lanier. Missing out on the Olympics might be the best thing to happen to Lanier. It has lit a fire under him which has seen him progress at lightening speed. Going from playing Challenge tournaments in June to winning a 750 in August! Wins against the top 10 are now consistent. He is THE player to watch right now!

Womens singles

At 18, Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki is THE best chance at breaking the top 6 who are dominating badminton right now. She is the top seeded Japanese player in the competition and she could see this as an opportunity to take top spot from Yamaguchi and Ohori. Like Lanier she competed well in the second half of 2024 with multiple final and semi-final appearances but found it tough against the top tier of women. She is showing very similar signs to An Se Young at the same age, could we have another young superstar on our hands?

Men’s Doubles

The new pairing of Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei look a good prospect. Wang Chi-Lin is the current reigning Olympic champion but his partner for the gold Lee Yang has retired at the age of 29. This now opens the door to a new partnership and possibly new success on the world tour? Flying under the radar as a new pair but they could do some serious damage to the seeded players!

Women’s Doubles

The new Japanese pairing of Yuki FUKUSHIMA and Mayu MATSUMOTO has a lot of potential. They only have 2 tournaments together but beat 3 of the top 10 and got to a final. It is surprising how quickly the two players have been able to build a partnership and get results, a great sign of good things to come.

Mixed Doubles

My ones to watch will be the young pair from India Kapila and Crasto who only came together after the Olympics where Crasto competed in Women’s doubles. In their first 5 tournaments together they have already reached one quarter-final three semifinals and one final. A great start for two players unfamiliar with each other and both traditional level doubles players. They have a tough first-round match against Koreans KO Sung Hyun and EOM Hye Won this will be a good match to gauge the young Indians’ level for 2025.

Biggest upset at the Malaysia Open?

Toma jr Popov has been progressing well over the last year. He secured Olympic qualification, got to 3 finals, and has been making the games with Christie more and more competitive. Could Toma beat Jonatan Christie in the first round? Christie does have some inconsistency in him so it is possible that Toma jr Popov could provide an upset here at the Malaysia Open.

Womens singles

Putri Kusuma WARDANI to beat Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, an all-Indonesian battle! Wardani ended 2024 well with a win at the Korea Masters in November, she will be more rested and prepared than Tunjung who competed in the tour finals only 4 weeks ago. The pair only faced off once last season with Tunjung taking the win in 2 sets but Wardani has shown a higher level since that game beating top 10 players! Could she claim an impressive victory at the Malaysia Open?

Mens Doubles

In reality, there are not many upsets to even consider in the men’s doubles currently. The established players have such strong dominance. The one pick that would be very interesting if it happened would be Ben Lane and Sean Vendy beating China’s fifth seeds He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu. The English pair don’t tend to cause many upsets or perform well in top events but they did have a few wins in 2024 that were noteworthy and are the focus for the England Badminton Federation with very few top prospects to rely on. Could they make a statement in the Malaysia Open?

Womens Doubles

This might not be such an upset considering both Kim and Kong have been highly ranked with other partners. Together for only 4 tournaments would normally mean they are not yet championship-ready however they most definitely are. They could quite easily take out the Yeung sisters of Hong Kong. Apart from this, there is very unlikely to be any significant upsets in Malaysia. It will be fought between the established top 10 pairs.

Mixed Doubles

There aren’t any clear upsets on the cards in Mixed Doubles, there are a few anomalies that could cause some problems like Robin Tabling and Alexandra Boje from different countries but experienced players. Maybe a new partnership like Tang and NG could surprise 6th seeds Yang and Hu from Chinese Taipei. They are unseeded and on a notional ranking, no experience playing together but they both have strong abilities that could work to their advantage in this match.

Tell us your predictions in the comments!!