The French Open kicks off today at the 3,900 seater Pierre de Coubertin Stadium without badminton favourites, Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei.
Lin, also known as “Super Dan”, withdrew from his second round match-up against Jan O Jorgensen last Thursday at the Denmark Open due to a sore knee, while the Malaysian favourite announced his intention to skip the match even before it kicked off.
The long-time rivals met 32 times before, including last September’s clash at the Asian Games, which saw the China ace claiming his 23rd victory over his long time rival, Lee, in the semis in Incheon, South Korea.
The 2014 French Open features defending champion Jorgenson in the men’s singles, top three Chinese Li Xuerui, Wang Shixian and Wang Yihan, as well as the reigning world champion, Spain’s Carolina Marin in the women’s singles, all competing for a share of the $275,000 total prize money.
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