The stage is set as the CLASH OF CLANS Arctic Open 2025 powered by YONEX will be played in Vantaa from October 7–12.

Four brand-new world champions from the Paris World Championships have signed up for the third edition of the Arctic Open: men’s singles winner Shi Yuqi of China, women’s singles champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, and women’s doubles gold medalists Tan Ning and Liu Sheng Shu of China.

There will be at least two Finnish players in this year’s Arctic Open. Joakim Oldorff, ranked 48th in men’s singles, and Petra Saarnivaara, ranked 218th in women’s singles, have received wild cards granting them direct entry into the main draw.

Two-time Olympian Kalle Koljonen (world ranking 50) currently sits fifth on the qualification list.

Men’s Singles Preview

Shi Yuqi claimed his first world title in Paris, but it was far from easy. Canada’s surprise package Victor Lai had two match points in the semifinals, and the final against defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand was every bit as tight as expected. Shi was also tested in the third round against France’s Christo Popov.

As the reigning world champion and world number one, the Chinese star arrives in Vantaa as the slight favorite—if one must be named.

However, there are at least two other names who could just as well take the crown.

Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn has proven himself a big-tournament player, already boasting three World Championship medals and one Olympic medal at just 24 years old.

Then there’s Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, two-time Olympic champion and world champion, whose presence needs no introduction. He hasn’t played since the All England in March, and his match fitness remains a question mark. That should become clearer soon, as he is expected to compete in the upcoming World Tour events in Hong Kong and China.

In addition to those three, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and China’s Weng Hongyang should be considered serious contenders. Defending Arctic Open champion Chou Tien-chen is always dangerous, but if the top trio are in form, the 35-year-old Taiwanese might struggle to go all the way.

Bubbling under: The French Popov brothers, Christo and Toma Junior, impressed at Paris. India fields perennial threats in H.S. Prannoy and 2021 World Championship bronze medalist Lakshya Sen, though Sen has endured a rare off-year.

Women’s Singles Preview

Unlike the men’s side, where several contenders exist, the women’s singles appears to have one clear favorite: three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi. The 156 cm Japanese star dropped just one game at the World Championships.

With South Korea’s world number one An Se-young absent, Yamaguchi has few real challengers. If any exist, they might be Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki, China’s Gao Fang Jie, or India’s experienced P.V. Sindhu.

Bubbling under: Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon is a former world number one and world champion, but it’s been 12 years since her world title. This year, she lost in the first round of the World Championships.

Men’s Doubles Preview

The men’s doubles lineup is spectacular, featuring nearly all the planet’s top pairs, with the exception of the reigning world champions from South Korea and the Indonesians.

My bet is that China will take the title, though Malaysia, India, or Denmark could just as easily win.

On paper, Malaysia fields the two strongest pairs: world number twos Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, world champions in 2022, and world number threes Nur Izzuddin and Goh Sze Fei.

The latter underperformed in Pars, but are the reigning Arctic Open champions. Perhaps Finland’s gray, rainy autumn suits them well?

Their toughest rivals include China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, as well as Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi; India’s Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy; and Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, who at 36 is already considered a veteran.

The Indian and Danish pairs both claimed bronze in Paris, while Chen and Liu won silver.

Bubbling under: Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee are ranked seventh in the world and had a solid World Championships. Other strong names include Taiwan’s Wang Chi-lin and Chiu Hsiang-chieh (WR #16) and Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan (WR #18).

Women’s Doubles Preview

The women’s doubles in Vantaa will feature seven newly crowned World Championship medalists. China’s Tan Ning and Liu Sheng Shu won their first world title in Paris (surely not their last) and are also two-time Arctic Open champions.

There is little doubt they are the favorites. Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, runners-up in Paris, are their strongest challengers, with other potential winners coming from Japan.

Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi have reached the semifinals in Vantaa twice—will the third time be the charm? Another Japanese duo to watch is Chiharu Shida and her new partner Arisa Igarashi. Their loss in the Paris semifinal marked the end of Shida’s partnership with Nami Matsuyama.

Bubbling under: There is a saying that no player is more dangerous than an unknown Dane—but I’d argue an unknown Chinese player is even more dangerous. Zhang Shu Xian, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championships in Copenhagen, now pairs with Bao Li Jing, who remains an untested card.

Mixed Doubles Preview

At Myyrmäki’s Energia Areena, we should see three of the world’s top-ranked mixed doubles pairs—though Paris champions Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei of Malaysia will skip the Finnish event.

China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping and Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, currently ranked one and two, are favorites to meet in the Arctic Open final for the third consecutive year. Feng and Huang have lifted the title in both 2023 and 2024.

Their strongest challengers will likely be Thailand’s world number three pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.

Bubbling under: Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje, who made a strong comeback by defeating the world number one pair at the World Championships before bowing out to another Chinese duo, are worth watching. So too are Indonesia’s young duo Jafar Hidayatullah (22) and Felisha Pasaribu (just 19).

Jesper von Hertzen