Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 29, 2023: The top eight qualifiers for the world’s richest badminton tournament have been unveiled with the remaining places in the HSBC Race to Finals rankings sealed over the weekend.
The 19th Asian Games host city of Hangzhou, China will stage the HSBC Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals 2023 from 13 to 17 December 2023, with a total prize pool of US$2.5 million on offer.
There are eight qualifying spots in each of the five categories, with a maximum of two players per Member Association, and a spot reserved for the reigning world champion.
Korea’s world champion An Se-young, who won women’s singles gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, had an exceptional season with eight HSBC BWF World Tour titles from 10 finals, securing 119,890 points for first place. Olympic champion and local Hangzhou hero Chen Yufei finished second with 109,190 points.
Third-placed qualifier, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, with 102,970 points remains an injury doubt. Korea’s Kim Ga-eun is next in line, with her semifinal finish at the LI-NING China Masters 2023 bumping her to 70,650 points and ninth place overall.
In the men’s event, Kodai Naraoka’s 11,000 points from his title win at the LI-NING China Masters 2023 saw him lead the men’s singles HSBC Race to Finals rankings with 89,250 points.
Jonatan Christie, Indonesia’s 2018 Asian Games champion, was second with 86,810 points, followed in third place by China’s Shi Yuqi with 86,430.
The draw will be held during the annual HSBC BWF World Tour Finals Gala Dinner on Monday 11 December. The winners of the BWF Player of the Year Awards will also be announced.
