Rasmus Kjær and Frederik Søgaard of Denmark are aiming to solidify their path to the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2024 as the second-seeded men’s doubles pair enters the Hylo Open 2024. Currently ranked No.10 in the HSBC Race to Finals, they must secure a top-seven finish to qualify, with reigning Olympic champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin already guaranteed a spot in the finals among the top eight.
Kjær and Søgaard are trailing Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun by 8,620 points, yet remain hopeful that strong performances at the Hylo Open and the last two qualifying events—the Kumamoto Masters Japan and Li-Ning China Masters—will help close the gap. Having reached two semifinals and two quarterfinals this season, they’re looking for another deep run in Saarbrücken to boost their standing.
Still, they face close competition. Pairs like Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, both with fewer than 10 events on record, have the potential to gain points quickly and surpass the Danish duo. Kjær and Søgaard realize the importance of maximizing this limited opportunity.
Withdrawals
Alex Lanier (France), who has had an impressive season, is one of four players who have withdrawn from the men’s singles competition, alongside Arnaud Merkle (France), Markus Barth (Norway), and Fabio Caponio (Italy). In men’s doubles, Robert Cybulski/Szymon Slepecki of Poland withdrew, as did two pairs in mixed doubles: Robert Cybulski/Kornelia Marczak (Poland) and Nicolas Franconville/Aline Muller (Switzerland).
At the Super 750 Japan Open, Paris Olympic gold medalists Wang Chi-Lin and his 21-year-old partner Chiu Hsiang-chieh, known as the “Lin-Chiang Pair,” defeated Japan’s top men’s doubles duo, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, with scores of 21-16, 21-13. Following the match, Hoki and Kobayashi appeared quite disheartened.
Ranked 8th in the world, Hoki and Kobayashi, who won gold at the 2021 World Championships and once held the world number one spot, had set their sights on winning a medal at the Paris Olympics this year. However, their campaign ended prematurely as they were eliminated in the group stage, losing their opening match to the “Lin-Yang Pair,” Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin.
Now facing Wang Chi-Lin again at the Japan Open, Hoki and Kobayashi still found themselves unable to overcome the formidable duo, with Hoki admitting after the match, “One of our opponents is an Olympic gold medalist. We knew how to counter them, but we were still overpowered by their strength.”
After their early exit from the Japan Open, Hoki expressed their future ambitions, stating, “We aim to once again target the world number one spot.” Kobayashi added, “As long as we can participate in high-level events, we will continue to strive.”
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng claimed the men’s doubles silver medal, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang were still in elementary school in Guangzhou and Ningbo, just starting to play badminton. They pounded their chests in frustration in front of the television at the “Fengyun” duo’s near victory.
By the time Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng finally fulfilled their dream by winning the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang had begun systematic training at sports schools. As young athletes, they harbored the budding desire to emulate the Fengyun duo.
In the 2016 Rio Olympics, as Zhang Nan and Fu Haifeng secured a hard-fought gold for the Chinese badminton team, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang had entered the Zhejiang provincial team and the Guangzhou city team for professional training, becoming “rising stars” with the goal of joining the national team.
During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen earned a silver medal despite the men’s doubles overall decline, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang had not yet paired up to compete.
In May 2022, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang began their partnership, starting from a world ranking outside the top 400. Within two years, they climbed to the top of the world rankings and entered their first Olympic journey as the top seeds in the men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics.
On the evening of August 4, 2024, in the men’s doubles final at the Paris Olympics, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, after losing the first set 17-21, made a strong comeback by winning the second set 21-18, forcing the match into a deciding set. Despite trailing, they tenaciously fought back but ultimately lost by two points to the defending champions, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, securing a silver medal in their first Olympic outing.
New Blood for China’s Badminton Team in the Paris Cycle
Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen’s silver medal in Tokyo did not lead to a third consecutive Olympic gold for China in men’s doubles. With Li Junhui’s retirement, the instability in both performance and personnel in the men’s doubles category called for new talent. It was at this juncture that the post-2000 duo, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, emerged.
Their debut at the Thailand Open in May 2022, a 500-level tour event, required them to start from the qualifiers due to their low ranking. Despite the setbacks, they battled their way into the top 16, ultimately losing to Japan’s top pair, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
At the Indonesia Masters, still starting from the qualifiers, this young duo made an unexpected run to the finals, defeating the world number one pair, Gideon/Sukamuljo, along the way. Although they lost to Indonesia’s Alfian/Ardianto in the final, it was a pleasant surprise.
Their world ranking soared from 424 to 179, signaling hope for China’s men’s doubles.
Hope, however, is a beautiful expectation that is not yet realized. They lost in the semifinals of the Malaysia Open to Ahsan/Setiawan and didn’t progress far in the Singapore Open. The entire men’s doubles team failed to qualify for the World Championships, highlighting a crisis.
Nevertheless, at the Japan Open, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang triumphed, defeating the third, fifth, and seventh seeds, winning their first 750-level tournament, and becoming the only champions for China in that event.
Despite missing the Denmark Open, an early exit in the French Open, failing to reach the semifinals in the Hylo Open, and another early exit in the Australian Open, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang climbed to the 17th position by year-end, with a promising future ahead.
2023: Rising to World Number One
By 2023, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, affectionately dubbed the “Liang-Wang” duo by fans, had a strong start to the year, reaching the finals in both the Malaysia and India Opens, winning silver and then gold. Despite an early exit in the German Open and a semifinal finish in the All England, their world ranking rose to seventh by April.
The Sudirman Cup marked their first team event together. Although their appearances were limited, they stood on the championship podium with their teammates, fulfilling their childhood dream of becoming “world champions.”
Returning to the Thailand Open, a year after starting as qualifiers, they won the tournament as seeded players, a perfect anniversary gift and a testament to their continuous rise.
At the Singapore Open, they reached the finals again, though they narrowly lost to a Japanese pair. Their consistent performance, with six finals and three championships in a year, brought them to second in the world rankings.
“From the Sudirman Cup to Singapore, the Olympic qualifying events have given us a good start and laid a solid foundation for the upcoming competitions. As young players, we don’t need to carry too much burden; we will continue to strive for more points and aim for the Olympic stage.” Their childhood dream was gradually becoming a reality.
With a bronze medal at the World Championships and a championship at the China Open, the “Liang-Wang” duo remained at a high competitive level. On October 31, the BWF updated its rankings, and they reached the world number one spot for the first time, achieving another goal.
However, in the Hangzhou Asian Games, they lost as the first doubles pair in the team final, but China eventually won the gold medal. In the individual event, they didn’t reach the men’s doubles quarterfinals, leaving no Chinese pairs in the semifinals. The year ended with ups and downs, securing only the China Masters title, and finishing as runners-up in the Finals in Hangzhou, losing to Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae, but they retained their world number one ranking by year-end.
Men’s Doubles: The Most Competitive Field
As the Olympic year approached, it was time to sprint. At the first 1000-level event of the year, the Malaysia Open, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang won the title by defeating Indian stars Rankireddy/Shetty. Though they didn’t win gold in the Asian and European circuits thereafter, their ranking dropped to third. However, at the Asian Championships in April, they reclaimed the title and regained their crown.
In May, at the Thomas Cup, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, now the undisputed top men’s doubles pair, defeated Alfian/Ardianto in the final, securing a crucial point and helping China reclaim the Thomas Cup with a 3-1 victory over Indonesia.
In June, they won the Indonesian Open, the last tournament before the Paris Olympics, and reclaimed the world number one ranking. This meant they would enter the Olympic stage as the top seeds.
No one could have imagined that the duo, ranked over 400 just two years ago, would become China’s contenders in Paris. However, men’s doubles is the most competitive of badminton’s five events. Despite their number one ranking, pairs from India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Denmark, Japan, and Chinese Taipei all pose significant challenges. In men’s doubles, it’s about skill, consistency, on-the-day performance, and mental state.
Yet, the “Liang-Wang” duo remains fearless. As they said after winning their first major title at the Japan Open: “We can do it. We attack every opportunity. We are capable and strong!”
Although they didn’t win gold in Paris, their shining moment will come. Here’s hoping they fulfill their dreams in Los Angeles.
