Goh Liu Ying looks out for these players!

• Men’s singles: Will MOMOTA’s domination continues?

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• The battle for supremacy in the men’s singles is expected to be an explosive and intense affair with the presence of the world’s best in the 2020 edition. As a season-opener, previous winners of the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS Presented by DAIHATSU, Viktor AXELSEN (2018 champion) and South Korean SON Wan Ho (2019 champion) will have their sights set on the podium. But the duo will not have it easy when it comes to on-court duels, especially with the world number one Kento MOMOTA, or power player CHOU Tien Chen. For all you know, the Indonesians in the top 10 bracket – Jonatan CHRISTIE and 2019 quarterfinalist, Anthony Sinisuka GINTING might just turn the tide in their favour.
  
  The journey may look arduous for Malaysian shuttler LEE Zii Jia who ended the year as the world number 14. However, with the home crowd rallying for him, the young Malaysian star may well go beyond his quarterfinal achievement in 2019, when his winning streak was halted by former world number one Viktor AXELSEN. With the 2020 Olympic Games qualifying points at stake, LEE, along with 2019 semi-finalist LIEW Darren, have been training hard to up their game in the hope of securing a place in Tokyo.

• Women’s Singles: Will INTANON shine once again?

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• Malaysia has always been a happy hunting ground for the Thai badminton darling Ratchanok INTANON. The 2020 edition presents the 25-year-old with a golden opportunity of making badminton history as she attempts to repeat her success in the 2020 Malaysia Masters. The battleground is set to be explosive with all women singles contenders from the top 10 bracket making their way to Kuala Lumpur, led by the ever-consistent and 2018 finalist TAI Tzu Ying, India‘s Pusarla SINDHU and arch-rival Carolina MARIN (2019 finalist).
  
  Home favourite and 2019 semi-finalist GOH Jin Wei, a former world junior champion, had a good year in 2019, but this time around, will her medallist dreams be hampered by a recent surgery? World number two and Nagano native Nozomi OKUHARA, bronze medallist in the last Olympics, no doubt will be among the main crowd pullers, along with China’s CHEN Yufei and Akane YAMAGUCHI. Such exciting encounters waiting to unfold!

• Men’s Doubles: Hopes on TAN & GOH but “Minions” GIDEON & SAKAMULJO look set to rule

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• The men’s doubles are set for another thrilling show of power and speed with the world’s top pair Marcus Fernaldi GIDEON-Kevin Sanjaya SAKAMULJO leading the pack into the new year’s new mission – clinching their third title. Having won the crown in 2019 and 2016, the Minions, as they are fondly known, clearly have what it takes to claim the winners’ podium, having again ended the year at the top as the world number one pair, way ahead of Chinese pair of LI Jun Hui/LIU Yu Chen. For two consecutive years, the Indonesia pair has been indomitable as the men’s leading doubles, with GIDEON/SAKAMULJO and Fajar ALFIAN/Muhammad Rian ARDIANTO winning the 2019 and 2018 Malaysia Masters titles respectively.
  
  Following a good showing in 2019, can our homegrown stars rise and shine once again? We would like to see our three Malaysian pairs, GOH V Shem/TAN Wee Kiong, Aaron CHIA/SOH Wooi Yik and ONG Yew Sin/TEO Ee Yi, taking leaderboard by storm. Revenge will be sweet for ONG and TEO’s who lost 21-15, 21-16 at the hands of GIDEON/SAKAMULJO in the 2019 finals while losing semi-finalists GOH/TAN. May 2020 bring renewed vigour and determination to our national shuttlers, as they reach the top of their game and fight for the glory of Malaysia at the Tokyo Olympics.

• Women Doubles: Will Japan rule the courts?

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• Women’s doubles powerhouse Japan, had three pairs storming into the 2019 semi-finals. This time around, expectations are higher as the Japanese girls look to cement their world standings as they rewrite the rules at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Formidable pairs of Yuki FUKUSHIMA/Sayaka HIROTA, Misaki MATSUTOMO/Ayaka TAKAHASHI and Mayu MATSUTOMO/Wakana NAGAHARA currently occupy the top three spots. Going by their on-court results and consistent performance, it seems hard to see them falling off from their current standings.
  
  FUKUSHIMA/HIROTA were dominant in the previous two editions of the PERODUA Malaysia MASTERS presented by DAIHATSU, winning the 2019 title after defeating Indonesia’s Greysia POLLI-Apriani RAHAYU in a pulsating three-setter of 20-22, 21-13, 21-19. POLLI/RAHAYU could again be the wet blanket to halt the Japanese’ assault. Home pair Vivian HOO-YAP Cheng Wen, who made into the main draw, will be looking to go beyond their second-round hurdle, along with 15th-ranked CHOW Mei Kuan/LEE Meng.

• Mixed doubles: Tall order for CHAN-GOH

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• MALAYSIA’s top mixed pair CHAN Peng Soon-GOH Liu Ying endured a disappointing 2019 campaign after failing to get past their semi-final opponents, losing at the hands of eventual winner Yuta WATANABE/Arisa HIGASHINO 21-15, 7-21, 21-14. Compatriot Shevon LAI-GOH Soon Huat, currently ranked 11th, also failed to get past beyond the quarterfinals stage. Both pairs, with the home ground advantage, will be looking to make amends in 2020, despite the fact that the competitive battle amongst the stars could intensify with the confirmed presence of all the world’s top 10 pairs.
  
  Life will be even more difficult for the 2020 contenders, following the return of 2018 finalist and world number one ZHENG Siwei/HUANG Ya Qiong, who are heading to Kuala Lumpur after missing the 2019 edition, along with world number 2 WANG Yi Liu-HUANG Dong Ping. While both are touted to be the hot favourites, never downplay the potential of the Thai pair Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH-Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI who lost out 21-18, 21-18 at the hands of WATANABE-HIGASHINO in the 2019 finals. Expect a few surprises, as all players will be giving their all when the tournament gets underway on 7th January 2020!

• Watch out for these players as well!

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• THERE will be no respite for players as they return for new challenges in what could be a difficult and tricky season. Upsets are bound to happen and as such, we can only expect the unexpected at the upcoming PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020 Presented by DAIHATSU. Apart from the big names and favourites, watch out for Denmark’s Anders ANTONSEN, Indonesia’s Jonatan CHRISTIE and Hong Kong’s Angus NG, who are capable of pulling the rug under the feet of the champions.