PETALING JAYA: World No. 2 men’s singles shuttler Kunlavut Vitidsarn is aiming to achieve the second major goal of his career – winning the All-England this year.
The 24-year-old Thai has been preparing intensively for over a month for the world’s oldest badminton tournament and says he is in peak physical condition.
He believes this could be his best chance yet, as it may be the final All-England played under the 21x3 points format.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) plan to change the scoring system to 15x3 points, with the revision to be finalised at their annual meeting in April.
“It is one of my top three goals. This year, I will do my best because next year the rules will change and there will be new challenges. I may not have the same chance, so this year will be my last at this event. I will give it my all,” said Kunlavut.
Kunlavut will begin his All-England campaign against China’s Lu Guangzu in the first round. A win would see him face either Japan’s Yushi Tanaka or German Open runner-up Toma Junior Popov in the second round.
Last year, his All-England run ended in the second round at the hands of France’s Alex Lanier.
Kunlavut had previously struggled at Super 1000-level tournaments like the All-England, but he overcame that hurdle by winning the Malaysian Open in January.
If Kunlavut can secure the title, he would make history, as no Thai men’s singles player has ever won the All-England since the tournament began in 1899.
The last time a Thai male shuttler reached the All-England final was Channarong Ratanaseangsuang in 1963, but he lost to Denmark’s Erland Kops.
Kunlavut has already achieved one of his dreams by becoming world champion in 2023 in Copenhagen. Another goal he still hopes to achieve is winning Olympic gold.
