Badminton

Lee Chong Wei, the world's top-ranked badminton player and the winner of two straight Olympic silver medals, reportedly could be suspended for two years after failing a doping test at the world championships in August.

Eileen Ng of The Associated Press reports dexamethasone, a banned substance, was found in both samples taken during the test. He will now face the Badminton World Federation to challenge the findings.

Also included in the report are comments from Lee, who states the substance was injected as part of treatment for an injury a month before the world championships.

"I never cheated, nor will I ever rely on banned substances," he said. "I am a firm believer of hard work and effort to achieve success."

Mohamad Norza Zakaria of the Badminton Association of Malaysia confirmed the group was dealing with a potential ban but said in a press conference it believed the player was innocent.

"This player is a very dedicated player and an exceptional individual," he said during a press conference. "We believe this player has never resorted to shortcuts to achieve success."

The report didn't include a date for the BWF hearing for Lee and BAM.

Lee has no shortage of accomplishments to his name. He's won more than 50 career titles, six total medals at the Olympic Games and world championships and numerous other awards at various events around the globe.

His status will be watched closely as he heads for the hearing. If handed the possible two-year ban, it would extend past the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That would obviously be a major setback for the 32-year-old star as he seeks his first Olympic gold.

If Lee is unable to successfully argue his case in front of the BWF, it would create more opportunities for the other top players looking ahead toward Rio.

The 2014 BWF World Championships features the top badminton action of the year, and this year's most talented players and teams head to Copenhagen, Denmark, to compete in the games.

Starting on August 25, play runs through the end of the month and champions will be crowned on August 31. Denmark is hosting the event for the fourth time, and around 400 players from five different continents will be featured, per BWFBadminton.org. 

Save for the Olympics, the BWF World Championships is where the best badminton on the planet can be seen. Enthusiasts and experts of the sport will fill the 9,200-seat Ballerup Super Arena in anticipation for the action.

Take a look below for updated results and recap of the action from Copenhagen.

Brackets, via BWF official site

Complete and updated brackets for men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles are available here.

Full Day 7 Results

Men's Singles: Results	Score
Women's Singles: Results	Score
No. 2 Long Chen def. No. 1 Chong Wei Lee	21-19, 21-19
No. 9 Carolina Marin def. No. 1 Xuerui Li	17-21, 21-17, 21-18

Notable Day 7 Outcomes

No. 2 Long Chen Tops No. 1 Chong Wei Lee, 21-19, 21-19

Long Chen knew that Chong Wei Lee wasn't unbeatable heading into the finals of the BWF championship, via The Rakyat Post: "I will try to beat him (Chong Wei), but personally, I believe he is not an unbeatable player as I’ve have met him several times before."

Long Chen got the best of Chong Wei Lee, winning 21-19, 21-19. It was a tightly contested match by both competitors, but Chong Wei Lee simply didn't have enough to take down his opponent.

Long Chen was right—his opponent was beatable. Now the world champion, Long Chen likely won't be taken lightly in the following year's events.

No. 9 Carolina Marin Tops No. 1 Xuerui Li, 17-21, 21-17, 21-18

In what could be considered the biggest upset of the tournament, Spain's Carolina Marin—the No. 9 player in the world—took down Olympic champion Xuerui Li to win the championship.

The match featured both power and finesse, but Marin was best on this day. She becomes the first European women's champion since Denmark's Camilla Martin in 1999.

The 21-year-old dropped the opening game before coming back to win. 

Full Day 6 Results

Men's Singles: Results	Score
Women's Singles: Results	Score
No. 1 Chong Wei Lee def. No. 14 Viktor Axelsen	21-9, 21-7
No. 2 Long Chen def. No. 5 Tommy Suglarto	21-16, 22-20
No. 1 Xuerui Li def. No. 16 Minatsu Mitani	21-8, 21-14
No. 9 Carolina Marin def. No. 11 Sindhu P.V.	21-17, 21-15

Notable Day 6 Outcomes

No. 1 Xuerui Li Tops No. 16 Minatsu Mitani, 21-8, 21-14

Top seeded Xuerui Li has remained a constant in the women's side of the bracket despite most of the top seeds falling all around her, so it's only fitting that she'll compete in the final. Li beat Minatsu Mitani, 21-8, 21-14 to advance.

The 16th seed was in over her head from the start, when Li was able to jump out to a quick lead behind her strong power and swift accuracy. After taking a strong grip of the match with a 21-18 first-set win, she wrapped up the second and final set in no time.

With most of the top seeds gone, Li won't face a No. 2 or 3 seed in the final. Instead, she faces ninth-seeded Caroline Marin, who has become one of the stories of the BWF World Championships thus far. 

No. 2 Long Chen Beats No. 5 Tommy Suglarto, 21-16, 22-20

While many of the women's top seeds fell, that wasn't the case on the men's side. Long Chen and Tommy Suglarto were two high seeds fighting for a spot in the final on Saturday, but it was Chen who prevailed in two long sets.

It was apparent early on that it would be a dog fight to claim a finals spot. The first set went back and forth, but Chen mounted a strong rally to take the one-set lead. In the second set, Suglarto just wouldn't go away and extended it to extra time before Chen put it away in straight sets.

The battles only get tougher for Chen. The No. 2 seed will move on to face top-seeded Lee Chong Wei for the gold medal. 

Full Day 5 Results

Men's Singles: Results	Score
Women's Singles: Results	Score
No. 5 Tommy Sugiarto def. Eric Pang	22-20, 21-19
No. 1 Chong Wei Lee def. No. 6 Zhengming Wang	21-8, 21-11
No. 2 Long Chen def. No. 7 Wan Ho Son	21-14, 12-21, 21-17
No. 14 Viktor Axelsen def. Tien Chen Chou	21-14, 21-14
No. 1 Xuerui Li def. No. 7 Saina Nehwal	21-15, 21-15
No. 11 Sindhu P. V. def. No. 2 Shixian Wang	19-21, 21-19, 21-15
No. 9 Carolina Marin def. No. 8 Tzu Ying Tai	19-21, 21-19, 21-11
No. 16 Minatsu Mitani def. No. 5 Ji Hyun Sung	9-21, 21-18, 22-20

Notable Day 5 Outcomes

No. 1 Chong Wei Lee Dominates No. 6 Zhengming Wang, 21-8, 21-11

Chong Wei Lee has reaffirmed why he's the tournament's top-ranked player time and time again. He continued that trend on Friday, defeating No. 6 Zhengming Wang in consecutive games.

Wang was the first ranked opponent Chong Wei faced in Denmark. He dominated his first three opponents, never giving up more than 12 points in any single game. That streak continued for at least another day due to a brilliant performance against the sixth seed.

Chong Wei only gave up 19 points and allowed a maximum point streak of three to his opponent on Friday. Meanwhile, he notched two games points while winning 42 total points and obtaining a streak of eight during the match.

He certainly seems unstoppable at this point; however, as the field narrows, only the event's most talented athletes remain. We'll find out soon if Chong Wei can continue his prowess against very strong competition going forward.

No. 1 Xuerui Li Defeats No. 7 Saina Nehwal, 21-15, 21-15

Friday brought an equal amount of dominance on the women's side, as No. 1 Xuerui Li defeated No. 7 Saina Nehwal with ease. Xuerui was tested a bit more than she was in her two previous matches—this one totaled 45 minutes while the others were 37 and 27 minutes, respectively.

BWFScore tweeted the final match results:

Still, she only allowed 30 points and limited her opponent to a maximum point streak of four due to some impeccable defense. During the match, Xuerui collected her 42 points while achieving a point streak of five and taking three game points.

Through three matches, she has now won 126 points and given up 86 for a winning point percentage of 59.4. She only appears to be showing more dominance as the final draws closer, and that's not a good sign for her competitors.

Full Day 4 Results

Men's Singles: Results	Score
Women's Singles: Results	Score
No. 1 Chong Wei Lee def. Scott Evans	21-11, 21-12
Tien Chen Chou def. Jan O Jorgensen	21-9, 9-4 (retired)
No. 5 Tommy Sugiarto def. No. 9 Yun Hu	21-10, 21-11
No. 2 Long Chen def. Srikanth K.	21-12, 21-10
No. 14 Viktor Axelsen def. Tien Minh Nguyen	21-16, 21-17
No. 7 Wan Ho Son def. No. 10 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus	21-19, 21-12
No. 6 Zhengming Wang def. Nan Wei	21-15, 21-18
Eric Pang def. Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk	19-21, 21-18, 21-16
No. 7 Saina Nahwal def. No. 13 Sayaka Takahashi	14-21, 21-18, 21-12
No. 16 Minatsu Mitani def. No. 4 Ratchanok Intanon	8-21, 21-12, 21-18
No. 11 Sindhu P. V. def. No. 6 Yeon Ju Bae	19-21, 22-20, 25-23
No. 2 Shixian Wang def. Thi Trang Vu	21-12, 21-7
No. 9 Carolina Marin def. No. 3 Yihan Wang	21-9, 21-12
No. 1 Xuerui Li def. No. 12 Li Han	21-9, 21-17
No. 8 Tzu Ying Tai def. Michelle Li	21-16, 21-11
No. 5 Ji Hyun Sung def. Lindaweni Fanetri	21-10, 21-16

Notable Day 4 Outcomes

No. 1 Chong Wei Lee Breezes Past Scott Evans, 21-11, 21-12

It only took 36 minutes for Chong Wei to establish his dominance once again on the men's side. Evans was easily ousted from tournament action after winning just 23 points through two games.

The world No. 1 took four game points while allowing none to his opponent while reaching an impressive streak of 11 consecutive points along the way.

Chong Wei has now won three matches in Denmark without dropping a single game. In fact, Evans' 12 points in Thursday's second game was the most the No. 1 seed has allowed so far in tournament play.

While these wins have been impressive, Chong Wei will face his most difficult challenge yet on Friday, as he is set to square off against No. 6 Zhengming Wang.

No. 9 Carolina Marin Upsets No. 3 Yihan Wang, 21-9, 21-12

There were several upsets on the women's side on Thursday; however, none caused more of a stir than the defeat of No. 3 seed Yihan Wang by No. 9 Carolina Marin.

Not only did Marin defeat Wang, but she did so in impressive fashion. The Spaniard won in consecutive games, allowing just 21 points to her higher-ranked opponent, recording a high streak of seven consecutive points and allowing a streak of just five.

BWFScore tweeted the improbable result:

The win comes as a bigger surprise given the history of these two athletes. In two previous meetings, Wang has emerged victorious—her last earlier this year by a decisive score of 21-13, 21-12.

Marin certainly turned the tables this time around.

With the win, the No. 9 seed moves on to face No. 8 Tzu Ying Tai on Friday. Another upset is necessary to continue for Marin, but anything is possible given the stellar form she displayed on Day 4 of the tournament.

Full Day 3 Results

Men's Singles: Result	Score
Women's Singles: Result	Score
Scott Evans def. David Obernosterer	21-7, 21-18
No. 3 Jan O. Jorgensen def. Eetu Heino	21-9, 21-17
No. 9 Yun Hu def. Ville Lang	17-21, 21-15, 21-17
No. 7 Wan Ho Son def. Sattawat Pongnairat	21-6, 21-12
No. 6 Zhengming Wang def. Petr Koukal	21-15, 19-21, 21-7
No. 10 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus def. Yuhan Tan	21-18, 21-15
Nan Wei def. Dinuka Karunaratna	19-21, 21-16, 21-13
No. 2 Long Chen def. Marc Zwiebler	21-11, 21-10
No. 1 Chong Wei Lee def. Dieter Domke	21-12, 21-9
No. 5 Tommy Sugiarto def. Vladimir Malkov	21-16, 21-13
Tien Chen Chou def. No. 15 Sho Sasaki	21-16, 21-19
No. 14 Viktor Axelsen def. Erik Meijs	21-9, 21-10
Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk def. Ajay Jayaram	21-17, 21-14
Srikanth K. def. Rajiv Ouseph	21-18, 21-13
Tien Minh Nguyen def. Pablo Abian	21-7, 19-21, 21-10
Eric Pang def. No. 11 Houwei Tian	21-15, 21-16
Michelle Li def. No. 10 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk	20-22, 21-18, 21-11
No. 8 Tzu Ying Tai def. Bellaetrix Manuputty	21-12, 21-14
No. 3 Yihan Wang def. Anna Thea Madsen	21-13, 21-13
No. 11 Sindhu P.V. def. Olga Golovanova	21-12, 21-17
No. 6 Yeon Ju Bae def. Karin Schnaase	21-18, 21-14
Thi Trang Vu def. No. 15 Eriko Hirose	Walkover
No. 2 Shixian Wang def. Pui Yin Yip	21-15, 21-18
No. 9 Carolina Marin def. Jing Yi Tee	21-18, 16-21, 21-10

Notable Day 3 Outcomes

Michelle Li Triumphs Over No. 10 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, 20-22 21-18 21-11

It wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't pretty, but Michelle Li pulled through to defeat Porntip Buranaprasertsuk. The underdog put the entire field on notice with a rousing win over the No. 10 seed.

The Canadian spoke about her performance following the match, per Gayle Alleyne & Richard Eaton of bwfbadminton.org:

“She was hitting a lot of winners in the first game,” Li explained. “I wanted to prevent her attacking so much, and knew I had a better chance if I kept the shuttle flat.”

After winning the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Li is clearly a rising star in the sport. The 22-year-old advances in a deep field, but could be putting every other player on upset alert moving forward.

No. 1 Lee Chong Wei Smashes Dieter Domke, 21-12 21-9

While Li was able to shake up the women's draw, there were no huge upsets on the men's side.

Two seeded players outside of the top 10 were taken down, but it was the No. 1 seed who made the most noise. Lee Chong Wei easily ousted Dieter Domke in straight sets without allowing his opponent to score more than 12 points in either set.

Chong Wei rolled through the 7'0" player, but Domke still came away happy to match up with the opponent. Prior to the round, Domke referenced his opponent's place in history, per Rajes Paul of The Star:

"Chong Wei and Lin Dan are the best players ever," Domke said. "I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to play against him."

Maybe it wasn't all bad for the German player, but the result was a predictable one. As the 31-year-old No. 1 seed continues to roll after a groin injury, expect a late run from the top player.

Full Day 2 Results

Men's Singles: Result	Score
Women's Singles: Result	Score
Sattawat Pongnairat def. Jacob Maliekal	21-16, 21-16
Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk def. Kieran Merrilees	21-16, 21-17
Vladimir Malkov def. Dmytro Zavadsky	21-6, 21-13
No. 9 Yun Hu def. Alex Yuwan Tjong	21-15, 21-17
Marc Zwiebler def. Niluka Karunaratne	21-18, 21-11
No. 2 Long Chen def. Luka Wraber	21-8, 21-10
No. 5 Tommy Sugiarto def. Zi Liang Derek Wong	21-12, 21-14
No. 7 Wan Ho Son def. Brice Leverdez	20-22, 21-12, 21-19
Srikanth K. def. Iztok Utrosa	21-11, 11-21, 21-12
Ville Lang def. Misha Zilberman	11-21, 21-14, 21-14
Rajiv Ouseph def. No. 16 Wei Feng Chong	17-21, 24-22, 21-16
Ajay Jayaram def. No. 4 Kenichi Tago	Walkover
Eric Pang def. Mathias Borg	21-11, 21-8
No. 11 Houwei Tian def. Takuma Ueda	21-16, 12-21, 21-14
No. 10 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus def. Jen Hao Hsu	21-17, 21-11
Yuhan Tan def. Jan Frohlich	21-14, 21-17
Lindaweni Fanetri def. No. 14 Nichaon Jindapon	15-21, 21-13, 21-9
No. 12 Li Han def. Hsiao Ma Pai	21-14, 21-15
No. 1 Xuerui Li def. Kristina Gavnholt	21-13, 21-17
No. 4 Ratchanok Intanon def. Beatriz Corrales	21-18, 21-10
Saina Nehwal def. Natalia Perminova	21-11, 21-9
No. 16 Minatsu Mitani def. Line Kjaersfeldt	21-11, 21-10
No. 5 Ji Hyun Sung def. Sarah Walker	Walkover
No. 13 Sayaka Takahashi vs. Petya Nedelcheva	21-12, 21-7

Notable Day 2 Outcomes

No. 1 Li Xuerui Downs Kristina Gavnholt 21-13, 21-17

Li Xuerui seems to finally be back on track.

After losing in front of her home crowd in Guangzhou last year, Li went out and took care of the Czech Republic's Kristina Gavnholt in dominant fashion. She spoke after the fact about what it meant in regards to her comeback.

"I had to overcome that mentally but I think I have done that," Li said, per The Associated Press, via The New Zealand Herald.

Li's dominance on the day included seven consecutive points in the first game to take the lead and never truly look back. As a result, she heads into the next round with a clash against No. 12 Han Li in the cards.

No. 2 Long Chen Blows Past Luka Wraber, 21-8, 21-10

It has been a tumultuous ride for Long Chen this season, a season in which he has won just a single title. That triumph came some time ago at the Korean Open, but he remains the world No. 2 and China's best hope in the singles category this year.

The No. 91 player was no issue for Chen on the day. As BWFScore points out, the match itself took all of 30 minutes and change:

Like Li, Chen fired off seven consecutive points in the first game and kept his foot to the pedal the rest of the way for an electric start to the tournament.

As a result of his efforts, Chen will next encounter Marc Zwiebler, who overcame Niluka Karunaratne in strong fashion, 21-18, 21-11.

Full Day 1 Results

Men's Singles: Result	Score
Women's Singles: Result	Score
David Obernosterer def. Daniel Paiola	17-21, 21-11, 21-17
Nan Wei def. No. 13 Kento Momota	18-21, 21-18, 21-12
Tien Chen Cou def. Raul Must	16-21, 21-18, 21-17
No. 16 Zhengming Wang def. Michal Rogalski	21-15, 21-12
Erik Meijs def. Joe Wu	21-16, 21-13
Petr Koukal def. Vladimir Ivanov	21-19, 21-16
Tien Minh Nguyen def. Howard Shu	21-16, 21-17
No. 3 Jan O Jorgensen def. Maxime Moreels	21-15, 21-11
Scott Evans def. No. 12 Boonsak Ponsana	Walkover
No. 15 Sho Sasaki def. Osieni Guerrero	21-13, 21-15
No. 1 Chong Wei Lee def. Dong Keun Lee	21-11, 21-12
Eetu Heino def. Giovanni Greco	21-11, 21-13
Dinuka Karunaratna def. Valeriy Atrashchenkov	18-21, 21-17, 21-16
Dieter Domke def. Kashyap Parupalli	26-24, 13-21, 21-18
Pablo Ablan def. No. 8 Simon Santoso	Walkover
No. 14 Viktor Axelsen def. Henri Hurskainen	21-14, 21-15
Kristina Gavnholt def. Jamie Subandhi	22-20, 21-23, 21-16
Pul Yin Yip def. Chloe Magee	21-15, 21-15
Natalia Perminova def. Anna Rankin	21-12, 21-14
Karin Schnaase def. Kirsty Gilmour	21-15, 211-15
Hsiao Ma Pai def. Fabiana Silva	21-14, 21-14
Petya Nedelcheva def. Marija Ulitina	23-21, 22-20
Beatriz Corrales def. Busanan Ongbumrungpan	Walkover
Lindaweni Fanteri def. Sashina Vignes Waran	21-18, 23-21
Michelle Li def. Fontaine Mica Chapman	28-26, 21-17
Jing Yi Tee def. Michelle Chan Ky	21-14, 21-19
Thi Trang Vu def. Lohaynny Vicente	21-9, 21-12
Sarah Walker def. Sannatasah Saniru	21-18, 19-21, 21-12
Olga Golovanova def. Linda Zetchiri	21-13, 21-12
Line Khaersfeldt def. Grace Gabriel	21-18, 21-11
Bellaetrix Manuputty def. Sabrina Jaquet	21-18, 21-14
Anna Thea Madsen def. Jiayuan Chen	21-13, 15-21, 21-16

Note: Complete Day 1 results available at BWF official site.

Notable Day 1 Outcomes

Nan Wei Defeats No. 13 Kento Momota, 18-21, 21-18, 21-12

It didn't take long for the first seeded player to fall in Denmark. In just the second men's singles match of the entire tournament, 13th-seeded Kento Momota was defeated in a three-set thriller by Nan Wei.

BWFScore summed up the marathon match, which lasted over an hour:

Momota got off to a strong start by pulling out the opening set, but he couldn't make the most of a second-set lead and allowed Wei to force a third set. Once he got there, Momota had seemingly lost all of his momentum and couldn't even make the final set close. 

The victory was especially sweet for Wei, who fell to Momota in the first round of the Thomas Cup earlier this year. After overcoming a tough early opponent, he'll move on to face Dinuka Karunaratna—a big winner over Valerly Atrashchenkov later on Monday.

No. 6 Zhengming Wang Strolls Past Michal Rogalski, 21-15, 21-12

Zhengming Wang started his quest to become world champion with a resounding 21-15, 21-12 victory over Michal Rogalski of Poland.

The 24-year-old looked to be in control of things from the start, taking a commanding lead in the first set. The Polish challenger generated a bit of success early on, but it was short-lived, as Wang easily closed it out in the second set.

Up next for Wang is another unseeded opponent in Petr Koukal. He was also a straight-set winner on Monday, defeating Vladimir Ivanov easily. 

Karin Schnaase Tops Kirsty Gilmour, 21-15, 21-15

Karin Schnaase continues to have Kirsty Gilmour's number, as the German won her second consecutive appearance over Gilmour on Monday with a 21-15, 21-15 straight-set win.

It was a tight affair early on, but Schnaase set the tone by closing the opening set in impressive fashion. Once Gilmour failed to jump in front early in the second half, it appeared all but over, as Schnaase had her way with supreme power and accuracy.

Gilmour was one of the stories of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She surprised by making a run to the finals, but her trip to Denmark looks to be short-lived—at least in the singles portion. 

Badminton is big business in Copenhagen, Denmark as the BWF World Championships are set to begin there on August 25. 

This is the fourth time Denmark has hosted the most prestigious event in the sport, and this year's tournament is expected to be an excellent showcase of elite skills.

The Ballerup Super Arena is the venue, and because of the 9,200-seat capacity, there should be an intimate and festive environment as the top teams and players compete for the championship.

The tournament culminates on August 31. It will feature men's and women's singles and doubles play, as well as mixed doubles.

Click here to see the draw, schedule, players and teams in action.

The Favorites

Chong Wei Lee

The top-seeded man in the draw is Malaysian Chong Wei Lee. The 31-year-old is a two-time Olympic silver medalist. He's also won four of the six tournaments he's competed in this year.

Just prior to the beginning of the World Championships, Lee found out that he would be reunited with his coach Rashid Sidek.

The latter had been sidelined by the Badminton Association of Malaysia because of a poor showing at the Commonwealth Games. At one point, Sidek pondered leaving the team all together.

Cooler heads have prevailed and Sidek is now the man in charge of Malaysia badminton again. Per DNA India, Sidek said this about his return to the team on Tuesday.

"I was told of my inclusion today. I am happy that I get to help the players at the World Championships."

Now that he has been reunited with Lee, the chemistry the two enjoyed during the world No. 1's most successful runs should allow him to reaffirm his status as the best badminton player in the world.

It will be hard to defeat a focused and happy Lee in Denmark. Per the Malay Mail Online: "If Lee plays to form, he should have little trouble until a potential clash with either Denmark’s Jan O'Jorgensen or Santoso in the semi-finals."

Simon Santoso and O'Jorgensen may be the only players capable of knocking Lee off.

Xuerui Li

On the women's side, China's Xuerui Li is the one to beat. The 23-year-old has already won the Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan Open this year. She's also the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the sport.

With her resume, there's no doubt she'll be the one everyone is eyeing for the championship in Denmark on the ladies' side.

Li is expected to waltz into the finals and even has a first-round bye. Don't expect her to be over-confident. Despite being regarded as the world's best female badminton player since 2012, Li fell in the championship match of the event last year.

She'll be focused and determined not to have history repeat itself this year.

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei won the All England Open Championship title for a third time, sweeping aside China's Chen Long 21-13, 21-18 in the final in Birmingham.

The Malaysian started strong, and his victory never looked in doubt as he completed a hat-trick of titles by defeating his 25-year-old rival, who won last year's championship.

Men's Singles	Lee Chong Wei	beat	Chen Long	21-13, 21-18
Women's Singles	Wang Shixian	beat	Li Xuerui	21-19, 21-18
Men's Doubles	Mohammad Ashan and Hendra Setiawan	beat	Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa	21-19, 21-19
Women's Doubles	Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli	beat	Ma Jin and Tang Yuanting	21-17, 18-21, 23-21

Despite his third victory, 31-year-old Lee hinted that this may be his last appearance at the Championships. 

I think this my last All England. I'm very happy and I tried my best because Chen Long is a very tough match for me.

I've lost to him many times so I think for this reason I made sure I tried very hard. I've finished for this year and I don't know if I will be back next year.

In the women's final, Wang Shixian defeated Li Xuerui 21-19, 21-18 in an all-Chinese final. This was the second title for Wang, who is the girlfriend of Chen. 

Wang was delighted after the win, and said per SkySports:

There are still a lot of big tournaments waiting for me to win so hopefully I can keep going.

Indonesian duo Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan prevailed in the men's doubles with a 21-19, 21-19 victory over Japanese pairing Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa.

In the women's doubles final, China's Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli defended their title. Yu shot to international infamy at the 2012 London Olympics after she and Wang were disqualified for attempting to lose group matches in order to gain a preferable draw in the knockout stage.

The pair won a closely fought match against fellow Chinese pair Ma Jin and Tang Yuanting 21-17, 18-21, 23-21.

The players will next head to the Yonex Polish Open in Warsaw on 20 March, as per bwfbadminton.org.

The greatest badminton players in the world have descended upon Birmingham to compete in the 2014 Yonex All England Badminton Championship, Britain's oldest and most prestigious badminton event.

One of only five Badminton World Federation Superseries events, the tournament presents a vital stop on the world tour and could shake up the current rankings in a big way.

Venue: National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

Date: Tuesday, March 4 to Sunday, March 9

TV info and live stream: Sky Sports 3 has official coverage of the event, while online streaming will be available at BadmintonWorld.TV.

Men's world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will be looking to avenge his defeat at the hands of Chen Long in last year's final and strengthen his spot at the top of the rankings. The Malaysian has been in top form this year, making the final of every tournament he has entered so far and winning the Maybank Malaysia Open.

And in a shocking twist, News Badminton reported Chong Wei might be entering the All England Open for the final time:

The badminton legend will be looking to go out with a bang, and winning this year's Open would be a storybook ending to a wonderful career. The road to victory will most likely be running through Chen Long, though.

Sitting right behind Wei, the Chinese title-defender bounced back from a disappointing performance in Malaysia to win the Victor Open in Korea, beating his Malaysian nemesis in the final.

And while last year's win may have come as somewhat of a surprise, no one will be overlooking Long this time.

The women's division will probably be a battle between China's Wang Shixian and Wang Yihan, and Republic of Korea's Bae Yeon Ju. While Shixian is yet to win a tournament this year, her consistent finishes near the top have her leading the rankings by the narrowest of margins.

Her compatriot, Yihan, bounced back from an early exit in Malaysia with a tournament win in Korea and looks to be in great shape entering the All England Open.

Korea's Yeon Ju has struggled with consistency so far this season and will be looking for a big result in Birmingham to catch up to the Chinese duo at the top of the standings.

England is not well represented this year, with Chris Adcock and his wife Gabby perhaps being the only hope for a good result. While Chris is ranked 18th in the world as a singles player, his partnership with his wife Gabby comes in as the fifth seed, per Badminton England, making their run to the final stages of the tournament perhaps a little easier.

Hometown fans will hope strong support from the Birmingham crowd can lead the British couple to a good result.

Full predictions

Men's singles: Chen Long, China

Woman's singles: Wang Yihan, China

Men's doubles: V Shem Go and Khim Wa Lin, Malaysia

Women's doubles: Bao Yixin and Tang Jinhua, China

Mixed doubles: Xu Chen and Ma Jin, China

Follow @DeKleineBelg

One of the biggest events in the badminton calender kicks off on Tuesday in Basel, Switzerland. 

There are 26 men’s teams and 21 women’s teams confirmed for the tournament.

Two years ago in Amsterdam, Denmark beat Germany in the men's final with England third. In the women's event Germany beat Denmark with the Netherlands taking third.

Here is all the key information fans need to know to see how everything will unfold in 2014.

What: European Team Championships 2014

TV: Eurosport 2

When: Eurosport 2. Friday, Feb. 14 Quarter-finals 4 a.m. ET (9 a.m. GMT) Eurosport 2. Saturday, Feb. 15 Semi-finals 7 a.m ET (12 p.m. GMT) Eurosport 2. Sunday, Feb. 16 Finals 5 a.m. ET (10 a.m. GMT)

Live Stream: Badminton Europe on YouTube

Where: Basel, Switzerland

The draw was originally streamed live on YouTube in December last year for what will be a highly anticipated competition.

Men's Group Stages:

Group One: Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ireland. 

Group Two: Germany, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Slovenia

Group Three: England, Scotland, Belgium and Iceland.

Group Four: Russia, Finland, Israel, Italy

Group Five: Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Estonia, Wales

Group Six: France, Lithuania, Spain, Norway, Ukraine. 

Women's Group Stages:

Group One: Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary

Group Two: Germany, Latvia, Spain, Iceland

Group Three: Bulgaria, Ireland, Netherlands, France

Group Four: Russia, Switzerland, Belgium, Scotland

Group Five: England, Estonia, Ukraine, Wales, Finland

Denmark's men have dominated this competition since its inception in 2006, and are overwhelming favourites to retain their title once again.

Strength in depth is reason for Denmark’s dominance, and with three singles players—Jan Jorgensen, Vittinghus and Viktor Axelsen—inside the world’s top 25, per BWF, and a host of doubles pairings to back up Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, the Danish have little to worry about in retaining their title.

Denmark's ladies are also favourites to top their group. They will be looking for a showdown with Germany later in the competition, who took their crown as the queens of Europe in 2012. 

The German men are in pole position to take Group Two, and might have the luxury of resting some of their stars given the opposition. Their ladies have struggled in recent months but are boosted by the return of Karin Schnaase from her self-imposed exile. 

The English men should overcome their rivals Scotland in Group Three, with their overwhelming strength in the doubles. However, Belgium are the dark horses of the group and could cause a huge surprise.

The Bulgarian woman are favourites for Group 3, but face serious opposition for Ireland, France and the Netherlands in a "group of death."

Russia is by right the top team in Group Four in the men’s event, but if plucky Finland can click in singles there might be an outside chance of them causing a major upset at the group stages of the event.

In the women's, the Russians should also progress despite Scotland giving them competition. 

The least fancied teams occupy Groups Five and Six. 

Sweden's men have the opportunity of reclaiming past glories, as they were once one of the great badminton nations of Europe. France's men should easily progress from the final group, with their skill and flair.

The English ladies should prevail in Group Five despite stiff opposition from a good Estonia side. 

As with previous years it feels like this will be a procession for Denmark. They are still the premier nation in European badminton and will have far too much ability as the competition powers on.

Their men's team is imperious and unrivaled, and despite the disappointments of their women in recent times, they should have far too much in their locker for any opponent. 

Germany might have the audacity to mount a challenge to the Danish ladies, as they did successfully in 2012, but they do not have the depth that they once did. 

Basel will belong to the Danes, and the silverware will be theirs once again. 

Whittled down from a field of more than 100 players, Sunday’s inaugural London Grand Prix Gold comes to a head with five dramatic finals left to decide the victors.

After fighting their way through a lengthy field of opponents over the last five days, only 16 stars of the badminton world are left in the running for both singles tournaments, as well as three doubles competitions (men, women and mixed).

With world ranking points and a $120,000 cash prize all on the line, Sunday promises to produce eight worthy champions at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Copper Box Arena.

Read on for all you need to know heading into the competition’s climax.

Houwei Tian vs. Hans-Kristian Vittinghus

Houwei Tian had the most difficult time of any singles player in reaching this stage of the London Grand Prix, the only finalist to not seeded Tuesday morning.

Along the way, the Chinese underdog  saw the retirements of his first two opponents before overcoming No. 1 overall seed Jan O Jorgensen in a three-game thriller last Thursday.

The trials didn’t stop there for Tian. A quarter-final beating of Singapore’s Zi Liang Derek Wong was followed up with victory over another tournament favourite, England’s own Rajiv Ouseph, in Saturday’s semi.

Standing opposite the 21-year-old is second seed and O Jorgensen’s Danish compatriot, Hans-Kristian Vittinghus.

Having already managed to beat the odds on three substantial occasions in the last week, Tian could earn the biggest accolade of his career since winning the Yonex Australia Open in April of this year.

Prediction: Vittinghus Wins 2-1

Carolina Marin vs. Kirsty Gilmour

As the last hope of Britain claiming any home singles glory, Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour carries the weight of several nations on her shoulders in ensuring the Olympic spirit of 2012 lives on at the Copper Box.

With that being the case, it's nice to see the 20-year-old hasn't lost sight of her less glitzy side:

Carolina Marin will be the most difficult test of Gilmour’s resolve. The Spaniard is the highest women’s seed that the Scot will face (third overall compared to Gilmour’s fifth).

Marin will also be just the second seeded opponent to have crossed Gilmour this week, Saturday’s semi-final win over Kristina Gavnholt being the toughest task up until now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aOI3hcXjuc

Having said that, Marin has had far from an easy run to the final herself and did magnificently to see off No. 1 overall seed, Busanan Ongbumrungpan, with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory.

What’s bound to play a big factor in Sunday’s final is the fact that Gilmour has also played two extra doubles games this week alongside her compatriot Jillie Cooper. While it may not seem like a lot, the slightest sap of energy could tell the tale between winning and losing.

Prediction: Marin Wins 2-0

In the third round of the inaugural London Grand Prix Gold tournament, stars from all over the badminton world will look to surpass the halfway mark of the British event.

By doing so, they’ll move that much closer to the minimum prize pot of $120,000 and a place in history as the first of their kind ever to win the Copper Box Arena event in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Day 3 of the tournament entertains the Last 16 of each discipline, with Britons Rajiv Ouseph, Sarah Milne and Kirsty Gilmour all advancing after some impressive performances on Wednesday.

Rajiv Ouseph vs. Hsu Jui Ting

England’s No. 1, Rajiv Ouseph, may have disappointed the home fans after failing to make it out of the group stage during the London 2012 Olympics, but he is going about his redemption impressively a year later.

Wednesday saw the 27-year-old beat Ukraine’s Vitaly Konov 21-12, 21-12 after he received a bye in the first round.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghH6Eyw2N8Y

Opposite him on Wednesday will be Taipei’s Hsu Jui Ting, who has already beaten one Englishman (Rhys Walker) on his way to the third round of the competition.

Speaking on his chances of advancing to the semi-finals, per Eurosport, Ouseph commented: "I'm obviously seeded to get that far, so it's possible, but I just need to take it round by round.”

Hans-Kristian Vittinghus vs. Yuxiang Huang

In his second-round outing, Hans-Kristian Vittinghus finished off a fairly simple fixture against England’s Michael Spencer-Smith in style, conceding just 15 points as he saw out a 21-6, 21-9 triumph.

Next up for the Dane is a Thursday faceoff against China’s Yuxiang Huang, who earned a much tighter victory in his third-round match, defeating Vittinghus’ compatriot Joachim Persson 21-17, 26-24.

On his official Facebook account, Vittinghus noted that he’ll “have to be ready for a different level of play,” but is “up to the challenge.”

Sarah Walker vs. Sayaka Sato

Sarah Walker has yet to be tested in this year’s London Grand Prix Gold event after being handed a walkover win past USA’s Beiwen Zhang.

On the other hand, her third-round opponent, Sayaka Sato, made her way through in far tenser circumstances, booking her spot thanks to a 22-20, 21-19 win against Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk.

The first real test of Walker’s talent in this event’s pool, it could be a lack of competition that proves to work against England’s national champion, although her standard is likely to overcome in the end.

The BWF Grand Prix Gold 2013 series hits London for the first time on Tuesday, with six days of badminton action comprising 243 matches set to decide champions across five badminton formats.

Taking place in the Copper Box arena, in the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, the event holds a minimum prize fund of $120,000 and will draw some of the best badminton players from around the world to London as the city hosts a Grand Prix Gold event for the first time.

The 12th such event of the 2013 season, the Grand Prix Gold is sure to be an entertaining and action-packed week of high-quality badminton action.

With several of the world's leading players absent from the tournament, Denmark will provide the big names in the men's draw, with world No. 5 Jans O. Jorgensen the No. 1 seed. His main competition will come in the form of second seed Hans-Kristian Vittinghus.

In the women's draw, meanwhile, it will be Thai world No. 16 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk who will start the tournament as favourite for the main prize. Her main competition, meanwhile, is likely to come in the form of Busanan Ongbumrungpan, who is currently ranked No. 20 in the world per BWF.

Local attention will be on English No. 1 and world No. 25 Rajiv Ouseph, who will begin the men's tournament as the No. 4 seed. The English No. 2 pair of Chris Langridge and Peter Mills, meanwhile, will begin the men's doubles tournament as a second seed.

In the women's tournament, those hopes will fall upon 20-year-old Kirsty Gilmour, who is currently sitting at her career-best ranking of 35th in the world. The Scot will start the tournament as the fifth seed in the women's singles draw.

A full rundown of the draws can be found on the BWF official website.

With tickets from as little as £6 on the opening day, the Grand Prix Gold should be a great affordable addition to the London sporting calendar in one of the city's most modern and distinctive venues.

After six heart-pounding days of action in China, the 2013 Badminton World Federation World Championships will conclude on Sunday in Guangzhou. 

In all five divisions, we've seen favorites and underdogs state their case for supremacy. Looking at the layout for the deciding matches, there's a good mix of both still in pursuit of a title. 

In four of the five final matches scheduled for Sunday, the top-seeded player—or players, if we're talking about doubles teams—reached the final. In the men's double division, neither Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan nor Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen comprised the highest-rated team. 

Sheng Mu Lee and Chia Hsin Tsai took care of top-seeded men's doubles team Sung Hyun Ko and Yong Dae Lee on Thursday. 

The biggest draw on Sunday will be in the men's singles final, where Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan will renew their epic rivalry on the grandest of stages. Lee is the top seed in the draw, but he will have his hands full facing his Chinese opponent, who is widely considered to be one of the all-time greats. 

Wang Xiaoli and Yang (F) Yu will take on Hye Won Eom and Ye Na Jang in the women's doubles final, Xu Chen and Ma Jin will oppose Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in the mixed doubles final and top-seeded woman Li Xuerui will battle Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon for the singles title. 

In preparation for what should be an epic championship Sunday, here's a complete preview of what will be the grand finale in Guangzhou. 

Sunday Schedule

What: 2013 BWF World Championship finals

When: Sunday, Aug. 11 at 1 a.m. ET (1 p.m. CST)

Where:  Tianhe Sports Center; Guangzhou, China

Live Stream: BadmintonWorld.TV

Finals Matchups

*via BWFBadminton.org. 

Finals Preview

There are officially five matches left to crown five different sets of victors, but there's little doubt where most of the attention will be cast. 

Lin and Lee are poised to steal the show.

"Dream matchup" seems to be the buzzword surrounding the pair squaring off, and this tweet from Sports247.my would seem to confirm that idea:

Cleverly placed as the final event of the day, the first four final matches can be seen by fans before the two champions oppose each other for the 20th time with a title on the line. Lin holds a 13-6 advantage over Lee right now, with two of his biggest victories coming at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. 

Lee, though, has held his own of late. Since 2011, the overall record sits at just 3-2 in Lin's favor. 

Lin has been noticeably absent from the badminton scene since winning the Olympics in London, but he's come back firing on all cylinders in China. In five matches, he hasn't dropped a set, while Lee has looked human in his past two times on the court. 

It should be an epic battle between two of the sport's biggest stars. 

Elsewhere, Lin's Chinese compatriot Xuerui will take on Intanon for the women's title. Both were strong in the semifinals, making short work of their opponents en route to the final. Xuerui (21-5, 21-11 over Yeon Ju Bae) needed only 31 minutes to complete her victory. 

As noted by STsportsdesk on Twitter, Xuerui will have added motivation coming into the final; the Chinese star lost in the Singapore Open final in the final tune-up before the World Championships:

In the men's doubles final, Boe and Mogensen have their work cut out for them against a strong pair of Indonesian opponents. 

Although they are the highest remaining seed in the classification, Ahsan and Setiawan managed to win their semifinal match in straight sets, as opposed to Boe's and Mogensen's three-set clash with Ki Jung Kim and Sa Rang Kim. 

Badminton Europe had this tweet concerning strategy for the two Danes:

Top-seeded women's double pair Xiaoli and Yu ran into some trouble in the semifinals, but they will still be the favorites in the final. Xu and Ma will also be heavy favorites in the mixed doubles finals.

With five World Championship titles still on the line, anything could happen in China. It's been a thrilling week of action so far, and the safe bet lies with that trend continuing on the tournament's final day. 

Follow B/R's Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.