The withdrawal of Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen from the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2024 due to injury changes the dynamics of men’s singles and makes it far more open.

Axelsen has a special relationship with the season finale, having won back to back titles in Dubai (2016, 2017) before achieving three successive titles (2021-2023) from four straight finals. With the Dane having stepped aside, and the inclusion of Li Shi Feng, men’s singles now sports an unpredictable look.

While his compatriot Anders Antonsen has been in hot form lately, with back to back titles in Denmark and China, the Dane will be hard pressed, given the quality of the field. Late inclusion Li Shi Feng found form at the Kumamoto Masters Japan, where he beat Axelsen in the semifinals and Leong Jun hao in the final, for his first title of the season from three finals.

Another strong contender is Jonatan Christie, who found his zone in the March-April winning the All England and the Asian Championships before a mid-year slump. In the post-Olympic season he has rediscovered his touch, with finals at the Arctic Open and the China Masters.

There will be much curiosity around the form of Shi Yu Qi, winner of the Finals in 2018 and runner-up last year, who has been in somewhat erratic form. Shi was sensational through the first half of the season, making three straight finals and winning the French Open and the India Open. He headed to Paris 2024 as a strong contender with further wins in Singapore and Indonesia, but suffered a tame quarterfinal loss to Kunlavut Vitidsarn and hasn’t been the same since. However, Shi could well be determined to regain his winning touch in front of home fans.

World champion Vitidsarn hasn’t quite stepped on the pedal since winning the world title last year. He won a sole title this year – the Korea Masters – and will have a point to prove before the season closes.

The other contenders – Kodai Naraoka, Lee Zii Jia and Chou Tien Chen – had their moments through the season, and they are all quite capable of upsetting the applecart of the more favoured names.

In women’s singles, An Se Young is expected to be the domineering presence, particularly as the Korean appears to have fully recovered from her right knee injury. An’s post-Olympic break followed by a final in Denmark and title at the China Masters indicate that the Korean is in the best shape, physically and mentally, as she attempts to win the title that she last won in 2021.

Her two principal challenges are Wang Zhi Yi and Akane Yamaguchi, who are the only players in the field to have beaten her this season. Wang had a strong season winning the Indonesia Masters, Malaysia Masters, China Open and Denmark Open; Yamaguchi, despite her challenges with injury, was in four finals, and will have regained confidence following her title win at the Kumamoto Masters Japan recently.

The dark horse could well be Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, bronze medallist at Paris 2024, who was able to maintain a high level during a packed season. While the Indonesian did falter in her two finals, she appears to have become a more solid player in recent times and is capable of seizing the moment.

Han Yue, winner of the Hong Kong Open and Arctic Open, is likewise capable of going far in the draw.