TWO times champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei received a favourable draw in his quest to capture his third All England Badminton Championships title at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England from Mar 4-9.
According to the draw issued by Badminton World Federation (BWF), Chong Wei who is seeded number one is on course to meet defending champion Chen Long of China in the final.
In the draw, Chong Wei, the current world number one, is not expected to face much difficulty in getting past Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand in the first round.
His next opponent is expected to be compatriot Chong Wei Feng or Marc Zwiebler of Germany while Du Pengyu of China ā seeded seventh in the championships ā could be waiting in the quarterfinals.
However, Du Pengyu will face a strong challenge from Kento Momota of Japan, a young rising star, in his earlier round.
In the semifinals, barring any upsets, Chong Wei is expected to face fourth seed Denmarkās Jan O Jorgensen or fifth seed Kenichi Tago of Japan.
For the record, Chong Wei won the All England title in 2010 and 2011.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Open champions Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah would need to work hard to get past third seeds Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen of Denmark in the menās doubles first round.
Should they pass the test, V Shem-Khim Wah can expect to meet another Malaysian pair, Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari or Indonesians Gideon Markus Fernaldi-Markis Kido in the second round.
