Dubai World Superseries Finals 2016 kickstarts at the Hamdan Sports Complex on 14 December and all the top Women's singles stars are already in Dubai for the prestigious year-ending tournament.
One look at the draw, which was released on Monday by the Badminton World Federation, tells us that there is not much room for error when it comes to Women's singles this year. The line-up includes reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin and her arch rival PV Sindhu along with Thailand star Ratchanok Intanon.
No, we are not done yet. The five-day tournament will also feature in-form world number one Tai Tzu Ying and upcoming superstars Akane Yamaguchi and Sun Yu.
IBTimes Singapore has come up with an overview of the recent performances (2016) of all the Women's singles Superseries Finals qualifiers. [Click here for performance overview of Men's singles stars]
1. Tai Tzu Ying (Taiwan)
The 22-year-old shuttler was unstopable in the Women's singles final of Hong Kong Open, in which she defeat PV Sindhu. The recently-crowned world number one also won the title at Indonesia earlier this year and reached the finals in Denmark.
Also read: Carolina Marin, PV Sindhu in "Group of Death"
2. Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
The 19-year-old Japanese youngster made giant strides in 2016 as she won two Superseries titles - Korea and Denmark. The world number eight will be looking to repeat compatriot Nozomi Okuhara's 2015 title-winning feat at this year's tournament.
3. Sun Yu (China)
The 22-year-old has been among the most consistent shuttlers in 2016. The world number six has reached the finals of four Superseries Open - Singapore, Australia, Japan and China. Can she end her title drought in Dubai?
4. Sung Ji Hyun (South Korea)
The world number five has been consistently reaching the final stages of Superseries tournaments in the ongoing season. She is heading to Dubai, high on confidence, after winning the Korea Masters Grand Prix Gold on Sunday.
5. Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand)
The Thailand superstar won three back-to-back Superseries titles at India, Malaysia and Singapore to begin the year on a high. However, after her first round exit at Rio Olympics, the world number three's form has dipped considerably. Can Dubai bring about a change in fortunes?
6. He Bingjiao (China)
This 19-year-old has done her best to carry forward the legacy of Chinese shuttlers in the 2016 season. Titles at Japan and France makes the world number 11 the one to look out for in Dubai. Can the teenager clinch glory in the coming weeks?
7. Carolina Marin (Spain)
The world number two has had a dream year despite not winning even a single Superseries title. The Spaniard took Rio Olympics 2016 by storm and defeated PV Sindhu in the women's singles final to win her first Olympic gold medal. The 22-year-old will definitely look to end the year with a title in Dubai.
8. PV Sindhu (India)
This Indian shuttler had not won a Superseries title when she entered Rio Olympics. She beat the odds and came up with a strong show at the Games, beating top-ranked shuttlers and clinching India's first-ever silver in badminton. In China, she ended her Superseries drought as well and also reached the final of Hong Kong Open. Looks like Sindhu is ready for Dubai as well.
