Over 270 players from more than 30 countries from every corner of the world are all set to fight in Spain’s most important event, the fourth edition of its kind. The Spain Masters will be taking place 18 – 23 May, being hosted once again in the southern city of Huelva, at the Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín.

With the names of who will play who tomorrow already out, it looks like badminton fans are in for a treat. The Super 300 tournament is a big deal for many players, with a good chance of showing their worth in an international setting and those who have qualified for the Olympics might take the opportunity to start warming up in the lead up to summer’s biggest event.

23-year-old Ditlev Jaeger Holm is on a strike this year, and so is a force to be reckoned with in his category. Just this month he clinched gold at the Portuguese International Championships. He did just as well at the Orleans Masters, although only making it to the quarterfinals. Another young talent to watch out for is Toma Junior Popov, the first seeded European player in the list. Felix Burestedt, the Swede training at the Centre of Excellence, will also take on the challenge this week.

Reigning champion since 2019 Viktor Axelsen will not be there to fight for his third consecutive gold, and so won’t be world number three Anders Antonsen. Still, the European youngsters will not have it so easy. The international side has some big names to offer with Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, India’s Lakshya Sen, and Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn looking to add more medals to their cabinet. 

Two experienced European players who can pose a threat to others are Pablo Abian and Misha Zilberman. The Spaniard is still going strong at 35, having won silver at this year’s Polish Open. Zilberman, who will also be playing in mixed doubles with Svetlana Zilberman, might be looking to get some wins after a slow start of the year.

The king of the castle, or rather the queen in this case, will be facing some tough opponents at the sports centre named after her. Carolina Marin will be playing on home soil at her native Huelva but it won’t be an easy ride for her. She comes from winning gold in the Swiss Open and the European Championships, but it remains to be seen if no injuries like the ones she has recently struggled with will get in the way.

Someone who is probably looking to give it her all and wouldn’t be afraid to stand up to Marin once again is Line Christophersen. Europe’s number seven earned silver just weeks ago at the European Championships after an arduous battle against Marin. Still, the Dane might be looking to earn some important points while she prepares for the World Championships. Her fellow Danish women’s singles player Mia Blichfeldt has taken the spot to represent their country in the Olympics, so Christophersen can focus all her attention on the tournaments. 

Almost half the seeded players come from Denmark, but they will be joined by some strong European players such as Yvonne Li, who managed to make her way to decisive matches in the tournaments of this year. Reigning champion Pornpawee Chochuwong will not be there to defend her title; still, Thai player Ratchanok Intanon is a good contender to take on the title. Jordan Hart, the former Welsh player, is finally back, now representing Poland and playing for the country for the first time. 

The top seeded players in the men’s doubles category make for a great list of well-established players and upcoming talents that have nevertheless already impressed everyone at previous tournaments. The Danes have once again taken over the seeded players list, as three of the eight come from the same country. Another powerhouse is Indonesia, as Leo Rolly Carnado/ Daniel Marthin, Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, and Pramudya Kusumawardana/ Yereia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan are all top seeded as well.

Christo Popov/ Toma Junior Popov are also ready to take over after a bump in the road at the European Championships. The brothers are part of qualification reserve list for the Olympics.

New English players such as Callum Hemming/Steven Stallwood, Rory Easton/Zach Russ, and Ethan Van Leeuwen/ Matthew Clare have been getting good results and might get to impress their opponents. Some interesting partnerships in the category are those of Scotland’s Adam Hall with Denmark’s Frederik Søgaard, and Denmark’s Emil Lauritzen/Mads Vestergaard. Just like in women’s doubles, it seems like there have been changes that could give interesting results.

The category of women’s doubles comes this year with classic power partners but also with some interesting pairings. Netherland’s Debora Jille has paired with France’s Lea Palermo, a fresh new look that might allow Jille to experiment in her partnership. Palermo played in the past with Delphine Delrue, winning many medals together, but the latter is now focused on mixed doubles. Alyssa Tirtosentono, Jille’s partner in previous tournaments, will be joining Imke Van Der Aar. It looks like there has been a reshuffle in the ranks.

The two Danish pairs in the category, Amalie Magelund/ Freja Ravn and Mai Surrow/ Julie Finne-Ipsen are part of the eight top seeded pairs, while Olga Morozova/ Anastasiia Akchurina, Kati-Kreet Marran/ Helina Rüütel, and Julie Macpherson/ Ciara Torrance complete a list of strong names competing in the category, and all three pairs are currently ranked in Europe’s top 20.

Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas, Muhammad Yusuf Maulana/Angelica Wiratama are among the strongest in the mixed doubles category. However, the French side will also be pushing the other top seeded players as they have some powerful contenders for the top spots. Fabien Delrue/Lea Palermo are certainly a mixed pair to keep an eye on, but so are William Villeger/Sharone Bauer. The latter have been delivering some good results recently, and the young pair could get to rise to the occasion.