Malaysia Open returns to Sarawak after a 11-year-gap and top stars including Lee Chong Wei and China's two-time Olympic medallist Lin Dan along with Women's singles stars Carolina Marin, PV Sindhu and Tai Tzu Ying are set to add spice to the Superseries Premier event, starting 4 April.
Defending Men's singles champion Lee once against starts as the top seed and he is geared up to give his best against younger stars after the 11-time champion decided to skip India Open Superseries in order to give himself some rest following his All England Championships glory.
The 34-year-old will face Rajiv Ouseph in his opening round on Wednesday and he has been drawn in the first quarter, which has sixth seed Tian Houwei and he is expected to face All England finalist Shi Yuqi or reigning Olympic champion Chen Long [third seed] in the semi-final.
Seventh seed Lin, who has won almost all the badminton titles, has been failing to win the Malaysia Open and he once again opens his bid to clinch the crown against India's Sai Praneeth in the first round tomorrow. India Open winner Viktor Axelsen, who is also the fourth seed, is a big threat to the Chinese shuttler's chances as the Dane will be raring to gun him down in a possible semi-final meeting.
In-form Tai headlines Women's draw
World number one Women's singles shuttler Tai Tzu Ying returns to the circuit after winning the All England title last month and the top seed will look to extend her dominance over the rest of the pack with a title in Malaysia. A possible quarter-final showdown against India Open champion PV Sindhu awaits her but the Taiwanese is expected to fend away the challenge from the Indian shuttler.
Defending champion Ratchanok Intanon begins campaign against Japan's Sayato Sako and she has to be at her best to retain her title as a possible quarter-final clash against reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin, who reached the final in India on Sunday, is on the cards.
TV Schedule
India: Star Sports 2
Malaysia: Astro Supersport
Singapore: StarHub Sports
Seeding information
| Men's singles | Women's singles |
| 1. Lee Chong Wei (Mas) | 1. Tai Tzu Ying (Twn) |
| 2. Jan O Jorgensen (Den) (Withdrawn) | 2. Carolina Marin (Esp) |
| 3. Chen Long (Chn) | 3. Sung Ji Hyun (Kor) |
| 4. Viktor Axelsen (Den) | 4. Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) |
| 5. Son Wan Ho (Kor) | 5. Sun Yu (Chn) |
| 6. Tian Houwei (Chn) | 6. PV Sindhu (Ind) |
| 7. Lin Dan (Chn) | 7. Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) |
| 8. Ng Ka Long (Hkg) | 8. He Bingjiao (Chn) |
