Group B: Can Canada Steal Spotlight?

Korea and Chinese Taipei are the powerhouses in Group B, but there will be plenty of interest around Canada, who could make things difficult for the favourites.

The Pan Am champions have a fairly well-rounded team team, competitive in all categories.

While Brian Yang hasn’t found form this season, he can be a difficult proposition for the best that Korea or Chinese Taipei have to offer. And with Michelle Li making back to back semifinals, at the Swiss Open and the Pan Am Championships, Canada do have firepower in the singles.

In mixed doubles, Canada will look to Pan Am champions Ty Alexander Lindeman/Josephine Wu who have troubled some big names in the recent past. Canada also have sufficient experience in the other paired events, in the form of Kevin Lee/Lindeman and Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai/Nyl Yakura (men’s doubles) and Jackie Dent/Crystal Lai and Jacqueline Cheung/Catherine Choi (women’s doubles).

Korea in Focus

Korea tweaked some of their established combinations this season, and couldn’t have hoped for better returns. Nearly every change has worked, and with the ultimate test of team all-round strength coming up, Korea do have the personnel to go all the way.

For An Se Young, the Sudirman Cup will present one of the few major titles she hasn’t won yet, and given that she has won all four of her tournaments this year, she will be the flagbearer of the country’s hopes. Then there are Seo Seung Jae and Kim Won Ho, who not only are a potent pair, but offer plenty of flexibility in case the team requires them in the mixed. Korea also have established players in women’s doubles and mixed. Perhaps the one deficiency the team has will be men’s singles, for they are dependent on No.42 Jeon Hyeok Jin and perhaps No.143 Cho Geon Yeop and No.202 Lee Yun Gyu.

Chinese Taipei have established themselves as a power over the last decade. While they are capable of challenging any top team, their team doesn’t boast uniform strength across the five categories. With Tai Tzu Ying still out of action, their women’s singles responsibilities will be borne by No.23 Hsu Wen Chi and No.24 Chiu Pin-Chian.

It is in men’s singles and men’s doubles that Chinese Taipei’s biggest strengths lie – in Chou Tien Chen, Lin Chun-yi and Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan and Chiu Hsiang Chieh/Wang Chi-Lin. Their mixed doubles (Yang Po-Hsuan/Hu Ling Fan) too can be depended on to secure a point.

Czechia, being the minnows in Group B, will hope to damage the reputations of the big teams. Their men’s singles (Jan Louda, Jiří Kral) and men’s doubles (Jiří Kral/Ondřej Kral) will be in experienced hands, while Tereza Svabikova (women’s singles) has made a name on the European circuit.