Tine Baun, Denmark
World ranking: 5
This Danish Darling has one great advantage, as Tine Baun is sure to have the home crowd rooting for her in Copenhagen. She has won the tournament twice before, so this year is her chance to follow in the footsteps of Camilla Martin and do a hattrick.
So far, Tine has had a great year winning both All England for the second time and the European Championship. However, at Denmark Open the audience had to see their home ground favourite leave the tournament in the second round, as she was defeated by Salakjit Ponsana from Thailand. Now, Tine has the chance to redeem herself here at Copenhagen Masters and get that third title in a row.
Kristina Ludikova, Czech Republic
World ranking: 77
Kristina Ludikova is no stranger to Denmark, as many Danes will probably recognise her from the Danish Badminton League. Here, she is a great asset to the Ikast team, as she is one of the strongest ladies’ singles in the league. Her individual career highlights include participation in the 2008 Olympics and a gold medal at the European Junior Championships. She is a physically strong girl and a real fighter, who is sure to put up a great fight against any player.
| | Pi Hongyan, France
World ranking: 9
Pi Hongyan from France is known and celebrated for her elegant and effortless style on court and is well known by the Danish audience. Pi is originally from China, but because of the tough competition between badminton players in her native country she chose to persue her badminton career in France. Since then she has achieved great results in prestigious international tournaments.
She was a quarterfinalist at the last Olympics as well as a runner up in All England in 2007. This year she reached the semifinals in The European Champioships and Malaysia Open.
Salakjit Ponsana, Thailand
World ranking: 19
She may be numer 21 one in the world, but Salakjit Ponsana from Thailand has proven that she has the ability to beat even the very best players. In Denmark Open she caused quite a stir as she sent the homecrowd darling Tine Baun packing in in the second round of Denmark Open and continued through to the semifinal. Now, the stage is set for an exciting rematch between the 26-year old Thai and the Danish homecrowd favourite.
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