Kuala Lumpur: Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced full list of seeds for the 2017 All England tournament that will be held at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England from March 7-12.
World number ones Lee Chong Wei and Tai Tzu Ying were named the top seeds in men’s singles and women’s singles categories respectively.
Lee who is chasing his fourth All England title, has been drawn against a qualifier in the opening round, and may face either Wei Nan of Hong Kong or Wang Tzu Wei of Taiwan in the second round. Lee may face a rematch of the Rio Olympic final showdown against Chen Long in the All England semi-finals.
If Lee make it all the way to the final, we would set up a mouthwatering clash with Lin Dan who was drawn to the other half of the draw.
However, Lee Chong Wei who tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee two weeks ago during a training session after a fall at a slippery mat in the new Academy Badminton Malaysia, has yet to confirm whether he will be healthy enough to play at the All England.
“I am still not sure if I’ll play in the All England or not. I am making good progress in my recovery from the knee injury, but I have not started my training on the court and I don’t want to think too far ahead yet,” Lee told Malaysian media after undergoing rehab for the injury at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Lin Dan may have to face Danish badminton duo – the No. 3 seed Viktor Axelsen in the quarter-final, and possibly No. 2 seed Jan Jorgensen in the semi-finals.
