Did you catch the BWF AirBadminton Asia Pacific Continental Championships 2025 at Port Dickson, Malaysia over the weekend? If you haven’t, we suggest you do!

It was perhaps the best glimpse yet that AirBadminton is here to stay. The incredibly high standard of performance a clear indication of the growing interest in the game.

We had players of all ages and backgrounds representing their teams. For China, Korea and Japan, it was a mix of university players – many just returning from the World University Games last month.

Malaysia had a youth policy, taking the best juniors from the Kuala Lumpur state team. Others used pathway players on the cusp of the elite level.

For Hong Kong China, the most dominant team on show, it was a squad of former seasoned tour players, now furnished into professional AirBadminton athletes.

Their tally of two gold and one silver just reward for the time, effort, commitment and passion they have poured into AirBadminton over the last few years.

Leading the way was former Top 10 men’s singles star Wong Wing Ki Vincent, whose leadership, tactical acumen, and sublime skills steered his Hong Kong China to victory in the Team Relay.

“It’s a milestone victory for us. We’ve created history for Hong Kong,” said Wong.

“After the group stage, we knew we had the confidence and experience to win this. The goal was to get the trophy and the gold medal. It was very exciting.

“We were a little nervous in the quarterfinal but after that we played with great stability and control.”

Hong Kong China and their vanquished opponents in the final, Indonesia, along with the third placed China all qualified for the BWF AirBadminton World Cup 2025 to be staged in Sharjah, UAE from 11-14 December.

For the victors, it was an improvement on their bronze medal from two years ago. In fact, they were the only team to return with the same faces from the inaugural Asian championships two years ago.

That experience and familiarity with AirBadminton clearly showing.

“Six of us are ex-players, and we are the same team from two years before. None of us have been to UAE before so that is exciting,” he added.

Vincent urged more of his fellow ex-tour players to consider making the switch to AirBadminton.

“This week I was the only former Top 10 player here. In the future I hope I can bring more other retired players to come and play AirBadminton,” Wong said.

“The main reason I retired was my right ankle injury. I could never fix it. But as AirBadminton is played on sand there is less pressure on my foot and I feel really good.

“My athlete life is coming back now. I’ve always loved playing competitions but that was taken away with my injury.

“So, making the World Cup and competing again is very exciting.”

Indonesia proved they will forever be strong exponents of AirBadminton with their penchant for highly skilled, fast, midcourt doubles transitioning well to the sand.

They added Men’s Triples gold to their bag of silvers from the Team Relay and Women’s Triples.

→Results

Thailand’s Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul has been confirmed new BWF President at the 86^th BWF Annual General Meeting in Xiamen, China held  Saturday 26 April 2025.

Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul is the second woman president of the Badminton World Federation. She won unopposed.

“For me, badminton has always been more than a sport and tonight marks a deeply meaningful milestone,” said Khunying Patama.

“While badminton is in a strong position today, we must continue to work towards making badminton a truly global sport.

“The next Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles are just three years away and LA28 presents a powerful opportunity to elevate our sport on the world stage. We must be ready to grab this moment.”

Khunying Patama succeeds Denmark’s Poul-Erik Høyer, whose 12-year tenure as BWF President ends today.

Høyer was awarded Honorary Life Vice President by the BWF membership at the AGM.

Khunying Patama added: “Badminton has come a long way over the past decade, and I am truly grateful for the strong foundations that have been laid by my good friend Poul-Erik Høyer.

“Thank you so much for everything you have done for badminton, as a champion on court, a visionary administrator, and, above all, as a wonderful person.

“It is both a privilege and a great responsibility to accept the baton of leadership from you. You have set a high standard for us all to follow.”

Høyer reflected on his 12-year term, the growth of the sport, and his wishes for the future.

“It’s a great honour to pass on the baton of BWF President to my dear friend and colleague Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul,” said Høyer.

“I am sure badminton and the BWF will continue to grow and blossom under your leadership and guidance.

“Badminton has been such a big part of my life for so many years now, both on and off the court.

“And I am so proud of the transformations we have collectively made together over the last 12 years to take the sport to where it is today.

“Continuity, innovation and capacity building are core elements I would like to see the Federation champion over the next four years heading into Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.”

Long-serving BWF Council member and Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois of France was confirmed as Deputy President. He was the sole candidate for the position.

Thobois said: “I’m very excited personally to work with Khunying Patama and the team to further the sport’s global footprint.

“We now have a great challenge ahead of us to keep badminton relevant and exciting for the masses around the world. And the good news is that we are already in a strong position and we are working from a solid strategic blueprint that can help us narrow the gap between badminton and other leading global sports.

“I also want to share my deep admiration for Poul-Erik. He is a true hero. We go back a long time from our playing days, including Atlanta 1996, and we even share the same birthdate. He was an inspiration then, and is still an inspiration now. To see him go out on his own terms today and show amazing strength in leadership is reflective of who he is as a person. He is a living testimony of what the word resilience means and is wonderful example for the badminton community.”

France’s Richard Perot was successful in the election for BWF Vice President Para Badminton over incumbent Paul Kurzo. Perot said he was eager to elevate the sport to new heights.

“My vision is to set a more global and geographically balanced sport where all countries are having the necessary resources to push their boundaries.

“A sport that breaks the barriers and gives every child, disable or not, whatever their social origin, colour of skin, gender or religion, a chance to play for life and achieve their dream to become a champion.”

20 new BWF Council members were also elected in accordance with Continental and gender quotas outlined in the BWF Constitution.

*alphabetical order by surname

The 23 new BWF Council members elected today join the five Continental Vice Presidents and Chair of the Athletes’ Commission currently serving their terms.

• Michel Bau (Vice President – Africa)
• Jassem Kanso (Vice President – Asia)
• Robbert de Kock (Vice President – Europe)
• Loke Poh Wong (Vice President – Oceania)
• Vishu Tolan (Vice President – Pan Am)
• Greysia Polii (Chair – Athletes’ Commission)

BWF Updates

• During today’s AGM, the BWF membership formalised the permanent banning of the ‘spin serve’ as per Law 9.1.5.
• The next BWF AGM is planned for April or May 2026 in conjunction with the BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2026 in Horsens, Denmark. The exact date will be announced before 31 October 2025.
• BWF can confirm Richard Vaughan as the new Chief Operating Officer, who began on 1 April 2025. Vaughan has joined as part of BWF succession plans that will see him replace Stuart Borrie who has served as COO for over 17 years.
• Borrie will remain with the BWF during a transition period in a new Project Director role in order to ensure a smooth onboarding for Vaughan, as well as creating added capacity to develop badminton even further in the years to come.

Member Association Awards 2025

• BWF Membership Grant Programme Impact Award
  • Federation Nacional de Badminton de Honduras
• Participation Award
  • Federation Francaise de Badminton
• Inclusion Award (joint winners)
  • Azerbaijan Badminton Federation
  • Federation Senegalaise de Badminton
• Promotion Award
  • Egyptian Badminton Federation

“I have told his story 500 times and it must be told 500 more times. It’s the most inspiring story I have ever heard,” said former Liverpool Football Club Manager Jurgen Klopp as he spoke to media after watching his friend SL3 player Wojtek Czyz compete on Day 1 of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

“It’s just not normal, especially his sailing story and he didn’t even know how to sail,” said Klopp, referring to Czyz’ five-year sailing trip around the world several years ago. “His story is so inspiring, so special and the world needs to hear it.”

Czyz struck up a friendship with the German manager more than 20 years ago with Klopp heralding Czyz’s ‘crazy story’ to media post-match. The two revived their friendship playing frisbee on a beach before Klopp took over the high-profile role at Liverpool FC and Czyz went sailing around the world with his wife donating prostheses to those who couldn’t afford it.

“I said to Jurgen back then on the beach, ‘Hey, what are you doing here?’. And now all those years later, here we are,” said Czyz.

Czyz was a 21-year-old footballer with SC Fortuna Koln when during a match the opposing team’s goalkeeper crashed into him causing multiple fractures and his leg to be amputated.

Not to be stopped, Czyz then went on to have a stellar athletics career, winning gold medals in 100m, 200m and long jump at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympics, as well as multiple world titles.

After more than a decade of professional athletics, he retired in 2013 and went sailing around the world, ending up in New Zealand, where he and his wife relocated permanently, started a family, and now run a manuka honey farm. Incredibly, he only took up Para badminton three years ago.

Speaking from the Porte de la Chapelle Arena, Klopp said of Czyz’s performance: “I enjoyed watching the match. Well, the seven points that he [Wojtek] won, ha ha ha,” he said jokingly, acknowledging the 21-5 21-2 result against Great Britain’s No.1 seed, Daniel Bethell.

“I sat next to his incredible wife, Elena, and we both had tears in our eyes. Sport can be about results and winning, but there’s much more behind his story. He’s 44-years-old. I can’t get my head around it.

“Yes, he played the best in the world today, but I enjoyed every second of it. We celebrated each point and we kept going. It was pure joy. I couldn’t be prouder of Wojtek and to be here.”

Czyz said of the experience: “Maybe it wasn’t the best match to have Jurgen watch me, when you’re playing against the best in the world. I think you’re looking at the gold medallist right there.

“But we’re here to advocate the sport for the future. If we can do something and that gives the next generation access to disabled sport and better support, then that’s great.

“With Jurgen’s presence, I think it’s a great statement that we need for Para badminton and that makes me very proud of him, and I’m really thankful for that.”

For the ex-Liverpool man, being in Paris for the Paralympics and supporting Wojtek is part of his quest to help increase the exposure of Para sports.

“I went to the Opening Ceremony and it was spectacular, like a Taylor Swift concert. I saw China and Brazil with these huge delegations of athletes and I was blown away. I didn’t expect that.

“The greatest stories are in Para sports. I am always trying to watch as many Para events as possible and it’s made easier these days with streaming. The whole thing has been wonderful and I’m just glad to support my friend,” said a smiling Klopp.

世界羽毛球联合会（BWF）宣布2022汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛将不继续在中国广州举办。

赛事将迁往泰国曼谷Nimibutr体育馆举办，由于场馆档期和比赛地变更，比赛日期为12月7日至11日，比广州原计划日期提前一周。

世界羽联经与中国羽毛球协会（CBA）协商后同意，鉴于目前疫情形势带来的各种挑战，易地举办2022汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛。

世界羽联感谢中国羽毛球协会、广州市政府和广州市体育局所作的出色工作。

世界羽联还要感谢泰国羽毛球协会在这么短的时间内为2022汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛提供替代举办地点。

2022汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛的参赛运动员名单将在11月22日澳大利亚公开赛结束后确认。

世界羽联确认，2022年汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛将于12月14日至18日在广州举办。这是继2019年之后，中国大陆首次举办国际羽毛球巡回赛。

本赛季各单项最顶尖的八位/组球员将在广州天河体育馆标志性的红色地胶上争夺赛季末的最高荣誉，以及羽毛球史上最高的奖金池——150万美元。

世界羽联秘书长托马斯·伦德表示，国际羽毛球巡回赛再次回到中国对这项运动来说是积极的一步。

伦德说：“汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛是我们一年中最重要的赛事之一，我们很高兴能与中国羽协、广州市政府和我们的主要合作伙伴汇丰银行合作，将总决赛带回广州。”

“我们也感谢中国政府向世界顶级羽毛球运动员发出邀请，我们仍然有信心，我们的东道主将以最高标准为运动员提供安全和舒适的总决赛。”

“广州已经在2018年和2019年举办了两届精彩的汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛，我们期待着为中国的球迷们再次举办一场羽球盛会。”

赛季缩短

即将在10月和11月举行的巡回赛是球员们争夺总决赛积分的最后机会，伦德也确认了2022中国常州公开赛(超级1000)和2022中国福州公开赛(超级750)已被取消。

伦德表示：“遗憾的是，原本在常州和福州举办两站公开赛的计划将无法推进。对于羽毛球界来说，这是至关重要的一年，我们非常自豪能够举办汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛的绝大部分比赛。现在的焦点转向了未来几周将举办的汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛和赛季末的总决赛，在未来几周球员们将为了更多的积分而奋战。”

2022年道达尔能源世界羽联羽毛球世锦赛五个单项决赛选手全部产生。中国队在女单、女双和混双项目中各获一个决赛席位，分别是：陈雨菲、陈清晨/贾一凡和郑思维/黄雅琼。其中陈雨菲击败戴资颖，中国队女单时隔八年重返世锦赛决赛。

中国男单选手赵俊鹏以20-22、6-21不敌泰国选手昆拉武特，无缘决赛，获得其职业生涯第一块世锦赛铜牌。昆拉武特成为了世界羽联世锦赛男单决赛中第一位泰国选手，将在决赛中面对安赛龙。

昆拉武特赛后采访时说道：“我很高兴，这是我第二次参加世锦赛。在第一局比赛中我确实犯了一些错误，但在第二局比赛中我可以很好地控制球。我的注意力集中在控制上，因为球场有风。我期待着在决赛中与安赛龙交手。我想向他学习，他是如何在每场比赛中都打得那么好。我没有压力，因为他是最受欢迎的。”

另一场男单半决赛，安赛龙以2-0的战绩击败了周天成，在第二局14比16落后的情况下，安赛龙积极调整心态，并在接下来的8分中拿下了7分，终结了比赛的悬念。

“我很高兴我在第二局比赛中取得了进步。对手给了我很大的困难，但在精神上，我成功地加快了步伐，这意味着我可以赢得比赛。我告诉自己，我必须专注于每一分，认真防守。我做到了，并且赢得了一些关键的分数。”关于决赛，安赛龙说：“我对自己现在的状态非常满意，我很享受。我不会考虑谁是弱者，谁不是。我期待着明天一场精彩的比赛。这将是艰难的。”

女单决赛将由奥运会冠军陈雨菲对阵卫冕冠军山口茜。半决赛中，陈雨菲以15-21丢掉首局后，以21-14、21-18连扳两局，成为李雪芮在2014年世锦赛获得亚军以后，首位打入女单决赛的中国队选手。山口茜在另外一场比赛中快速战胜了韩国选手安洗莹，晋级决赛。

陈雨菲在赛后采访时表示：“因为这次比赛球比较慢，在场上对抗的拍数会很多，自己在比赛中一直没有放弃，通过多拍相持去逼迫对手失误。”谈到决赛，陈雨菲坦言“全力以赴展示最好的自己，不留遗憾。”

女双比赛中，头号种子陈清晨/贾一凡迎战日本组合松本麻佑/永原和可那，陈清晨/贾一凡以21-13、21-14击败曾同为两届世锦赛冠军的松本麻佑/永原和可那，将与韩国组合金昭映/孔熙容争夺冠军，后者在半决赛中以2-1险胜泰国组合菩提塔/沙西丽。

混双半决赛，头号种子郑思维/黄雅琼经过三局苦战，以21-16、12-21、21-10战胜了队友王懿律/黄东萍，第三次闯入决赛。他们决赛的对手是日本组合渡边勇大/东野有纱。

中国羽毛球双打传奇赵芸蕾入选2022年世界羽毛球联合会（BWF）名人堂，一同入选的还有与其同时代征战羽坛的印尼双打名将莉莉亚娜·纳西尔。

赵芸蕾是她那个时代最全能的双打运动员。 在很长一段时间内，她在混双和女双两个项目中的统治地位无人能及。退役后， 她成为了史上最优秀的羽毛球运动员之一——细数她职业生涯中所获得的冠军头衔，包括两枚奥运会金牌和五枚世锦赛金牌。

世界羽毛球联合会主席保罗·埃里克·霍耶对赵芸蕾入选BWF名人堂表示祝贺。

他说，“入选世界羽联名人堂是对羽毛球运动员最大的致敬。名人堂旨在表彰精英中的精英，赵芸蕾当之无愧地占有一席之地。赢得奥运会或世锦赛金牌是大多数运动员的梦想，而赵芸蕾取得了这两项大赛的双冠王，这是一项了不起的成就。”

Click Here for the BWF Hall of Fame Honour Roll

赵芸蕾将于2022年6月24日周五下午两点举办的线上典礼和媒体活动中正式被官方授誉。

世界羽毛球联合会(以下简称：BWF)的2024年巴黎奥运会参赛资格规则已经得到国际奥委会(以下简称：IOC)的批准。巴黎奥运会积分周期将于2023年5月1日开始持续到2024年4月28日，以2024年4月30日的奥运积分排名名单来确定。

羽毛球参赛总名额为172个(男86个，女86个)，除常规名额(166个)外，还包括2个主办国名额和4个额外名额。每个国家或地区协会派出的男女运动员的名额都不得超过8个。

单打

在每个单打项目中，国家或地区协会至少需要两位球员排在奥运积分前16位，才能获得两个满额参赛名额。共有35个名额，一个东道国名额，两个额外名额。额外名额将在资格期结束后由三方委员会确定。每个单打项目还必须至少有两名来自五大洲协会的运动员，前提是他们的排名在前250名之内。

双打

在每个双打项目中，国家或地区协会至少需要两组球员排在奥运积分前8位，才能获得两个满额参赛名额。每个双打项目还必须至少有一对来自五大洲协会的运动员，前提是他们的排名在前50名之内。

考虑到所有项目的参赛资格，没有任何国家或地区协会可以在单个项目中派出超过2组以上运动员。

在国际奥委会官网上查看已批准的2024年巴黎奥运会参赛资格规则。

世界羽联确认将有大批印尼选手退出将于12月12日在西班牙韦尔瓦举行的2021道达尔能源世锦赛。

印尼羽毛球协会(PBSI)周三上午宣布了这一消息，表达了与新冠肺炎疫情相关的担忧。还有一小部分印尼选手仍在签表中。

世界羽联对PBSI的决定感到失望，并对在抽签后退出感到遗憾。

然而，世界羽联和西班牙羽毛球联合会目前正根据地方和国家卫生当局制定的建议和措施，包括针对所有运动员、团队官员和主要利益攸关方的一套全面的安全协议，集中精力举办一场安全、成功的世锦赛。

此外男单卫冕冠军、世界第二桃田贤斗因伤退出比赛，世界羽联也确认了这一不幸消息。桃田贤斗还退出了上周的2021汇丰世界羽联世界巡回赛总决赛，并已返回日本。

混双7号种子陈炳顺和吴柳莹在搭档13年后宣布解散，并退出世锦赛。

大多数球员现在已经安全抵达韦尔瓦并进入了“安全泡泡”。第一轮比赛将于当地时间周日上午10点开始。目前没有重新抽签的计划。

2021尤尼克斯法国公开赛男双决赛中，韩国老将组合高成炫/申白喆击败了世界排名第一吉迪恩/苏卡穆约，自2019年澳大利亚公开赛后再次夺得男双冠军。

这是属于两位老将的标志性胜利，他们用韩国的传统打法击败了世界最顶级的男双组合。34岁的高成炫和32岁的申白喆是2016年里约奥运会后退役的几对顶级男双选手之一；他们于2018年复出，但复出之旅磕磕绊绊。与此同时，小黄人组合将自己塑造成里约后男双一代的佼佼者。

但韩国老将今天的表现表明，他们的技术仍旧是最顶级的；不管对手的什么球，他们都用顽强的防守化解；他们调动苏卡穆约让他无法发挥前场的实力，当机会来临时，他们由守转攻一击制胜。

高成炫获得了他的第三个法国公开赛冠军(前两次分别搭档李龙大和金荷娜），申白喆获得了他的第一个法国公开赛冠军。“在来这里之前，我们都不认为我们能赢，”高成炫说。“每次胜利后，我们都感觉更好，今天我们超级开心。几年前我们离开了国家队，在疫情之后，这是我们第一次进入高级别赛事决赛，所以这对我们来说真的很重要。”

“与年轻选手相比，我们体能限制很大，所以很难跟上他们。我们有经验，这对我们今天很有帮助。这取决于具体情况。也许今天我们的处理得比对手好。他们真的是很好的球员。很难把他们和我们同时代的人相比。即使在那时，也有很多人比我们更好。”

申白喆说：“我们没有任何遗憾。但在我们不打球的那段时间里，我们对自己的未来感到不安。现在我们很高兴我们今天做到了。这是我第一次在法国参加决赛，所以意义重大。在这之后，我们将对未来的重大比赛更有信心。”

他们的的同胞李绍熙和申昇瓒早些时候以21-17、21-12击败队友金昭映/孔熙容获得了女双冠军，继2019年后再次登上最高领奖台。

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2021道达尔能源世界羽联苏迪曼杯总决赛决赛中，卫冕冠军中国队以3-1击败日本队，第12次捧起苏迪曼杯。

纵观全场比赛，双方都展现了超强水准，年轻的球员们表现出了与久经沙场的球星们一样的抗压能力。在上一届苏迪曼杯上，日本队以0-3被中国队击败，这次他们试图推翻这一结果，但他们不得不再次区居亚军。

中国队教练张军谈到了对年轻队员的信任，以及他们在这场重大赛事中坚守立场的能力。让一位球员上两个单项的计划被搁置，中国选择了何济霆和周昊东参加男双。

结果如愿以偿。保木卓朗/小林优吾在一个多小时的时间里与中国的年轻队员进行了战斗，但日本人错误地过度依赖防守。在比赛的最后阶段，何济霆/周昊东始终保持着进攻的活力，帮助中国队取得了领先。

“我们在四分之一决赛中输给了丹麦，我们吸取了教训——我们试着更有耐心，”周昊东说。

在上届苏迪曼杯决赛中，山口茜输给了陈雨菲。今天山口一心要进攻。日本人不愿意在对抗赛中留下遗憾，她保持着陈雨菲难以跟上的速度。即使当她的对手找到空档时，山口茜也依靠着顽强的跑动进行补救。正是这种更顽强的风格帮助山口茜赢得了比赛，因为陈雨菲在其他方面还是一如既往的精确和稳定。

“上一届苏迪曼杯我也是同样的情况，但我输了，所以我不想重蹈覆辙。而且，她是奥运会金牌得主，所以我决定挑战她。”山口说。“我只是想打一场稳定的比赛。我知道她打了几场长时间的比赛，一定会累的。我没有打过这么多长时间的比赛，所以我很有活力。”

在一场高质量的开局之后，男单比赛出现了最令人好奇的转折。开局似乎消耗了石宇奇太多精力，因此他放弃了第二局，把所有精力留到第三局上。无论是这一周累积的疲劳，还是仅仅精神上的压力，桃田贤斗又一次输了。世界第一面对石宇奇的不断高强度进攻，并没有什么办法能够应对，最终石宇奇以2-1击败对手，使中国队以2-1领先。

桃田否认疲劳是他在第三局比赛中有点无精打采的原因。“我被对手的进攻能力压垮了，所以我输了。我没有那么累，但我找不到赢球的方法。”

石宇奇在庆祝他2019年7月受伤复出后的最佳时刻时，承诺要比受伤前更好。“我放弃了第二局以恢复我的体力。我必须把所有的精力都放在第三局比赛上。我有90%的最佳状态。赢得比赛是一件很棒的事情，但我的目标不是回到以前的水平——我要达到以前水平的120% !”

日本最后的希望寄托在女双临时组合上，松本麻佑/松友美佐纪给陈清晨/贾一凡造成了不小的麻烦。中国组合一路经受着考验，她们表现出了出色的气质，关键时刻下手更加果断。

随着21-17 21-16的胜利，苏迪曼杯留在了中国。“奥运会之后,这个冠军让我们可以再次激励我们的队员，”张军说，“我们本届苏杯男双阵容上不是最完美的，对泰国和丹麦我们有一些困难，但我们决定让年轻球员上场，我们信任他们的能力，他们今天做的很好。”
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2021道达尔能源世界羽联苏迪曼杯总决赛 第三比赛日中，桃田贤斗率领的日本队5-0击败英格兰队，将与马来西亚队争夺小组头名位置。

在东京奥运会小组赛阶段被淘汰之后，球迷对桃田的状态充满了好奇。今天，在D组日本对阵英格兰的比赛中，渡边勇大/东野有纱帮助日本取得领先后，桃田贤斗在与世界排名第205位的托尔森的比赛中，看上去与巅峰时期的状态还相距甚远。

日本人经常被托尔森的杀直线所击溃，这位22岁的英格兰球员打得非常轻松，然而最后一记发球将优势拱手让给了桃田，他在第一局比赛中获得了信心，并在没有进一步失误的情况下结束了比赛。

“一开始我非常紧张，无法发挥自己的能力。接近第二局的时候，我让自己冷静下来，控制住自己的比赛。”

“我希望在专注度方面有所提高。我今天很紧张，不能专注于一件事。不过，好在我能让自己冷静下来。”

托尔森说，他对自己的表现感到惊讶。

“这对我来说绝对是一个惊喜，我不知道他是否感到紧张。很高兴看到我的扣杀能够穿透他的防守。我认为这对我来说绝对是一个巨大的信心助推器，能够在与世界上最好的球员的比赛中取得这样的成绩。我想在未来面对每一个球员时都这样做。”

本·莱恩和文迪不敌古贺辉/斋藤太一，没能阻止日本队。 山口茜以21-16/21-12击败霍尔顿，之后志田千阳/松山奈未在与布里奇/史密斯的比赛中直落两局，帮助日本队5-0完胜英格兰队。

在另一场B组比赛中，马来西亚以5比0击败埃及，而在B组中，中华台北以5比0击败德国，韩国以同样的优势击败了塔希提岛。

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Wednesday at VICTOR China Open 2026 served a reminder that rankings sometimes count for little, as a trio of inspired performances sent fancied second and seventh seeds crashing out in Changzhou.

The biggest statement came from Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, who produced his best victory in years to stun men’s singles second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-13 8-21 21-19. The world No.30 held his nerve after the deciding game reached 19-all, sealing his first win over the Thai world No.2 in three years and his first victory against a top-five player since defeating then world No.4 Li Shi Feng at the China Masters in November 2023.

“I kept fighting even after winning the first game. I believed in my game and somehow managed to stay in the match. When we got to the crucial points, I took my chances,” he said. “I tried to control the conditions out there. It’s not like I felt I controlled everything well but I gave it everything I had.

“Being aggressive was my only chance – try to win the points quickly and make him a little uncomfortable. I think I succeeded with that. Today’s my day and I’m so proud of my performance.”

Europe’s memorable day continued when Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen claimed his maiden victory over Li, overcoming the seventh seed 21-12 14-21 21-18 in his fourth attempt against the world No.7.

“I’ve had a lot of good games against him, whether it’s in the juniors or in the past so I knew I had the capability to win one game, but to do it in three, and in China, is unbelievable,” said the world No.24.

“Towards the end, I got quite tense because I wanted to finish, so there’s still many things I can learn from these top players. For Ireland to beat China, for me, it’s a big deal. I’ve always wanted to compete against the best so doing this gives me a lot of motivation, that players from small countries can overcome the cream of the crop.”

Earlier, Rachel Allessya Rose/Febi Setianingrum gained swift revenge over Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian, defeating the women’s doubles second seeds 24-22 21-17 in just 37 minutes. The victory came only a week after the Indonesians fell to the same pair in the Japan Open first round.

Rose said lessons from that defeat proved decisive.

“We took away a lot of learnings from that match so today we just played to our strengths. The way we finished the first game, we had the momentum going into the second. That was crucial as it increased our confidence.”

Setianingrum added: “We came here wanting to prove we can beat them and we got what we wanted so we leave happy. We hope to be even better in the next match.”

→ Results (Day 2)

→ Order of play (Day 3)

Three match points down and staring at another early exit, Weng Hong Yang found something that had been missing for much of 2026 – belief.

The 2024 champion produced the comeback of the opening day, saving three match points at 20-17 before completing a thrilling 15-21 21-17 22-20 victory over men’s singles third seed Anders Antonsen in 84 unforgettable minutes at VICTOR China Open 2026.

It was a finish few inside the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium saw coming.

Weng had spent most of the afternoon chasing the Dane. After falling 11-6 behind in the opening game, he fought back to level at 14-all before Antonsen regained control. The Chinese player responded with a steadier display in the second game to force a decider but the momentum swung back heavily in Antonsen’s favour as he raced to a commanding 12-4 lead.

Even then, Weng refused to yield.

Patiently chipping away at the deficit, he clawed back into contention before surviving three match points with remarkable composure. Seven minutes shorter than their gripping quarterfinal at the same venue in 2024 – another match won by Weng – this latest chapter was every bit as dramatic.

The victory offers a welcome lift for the world No.18 after a difficult season in which five of his eight tournaments ended in first round defeats, including his last two appearances at the Japan and Indonesia Opens.

“I’m happy to get this win – it’s been a while,” said Weng. “I stayed positive and didn’t give up, even when things got tough. It’s been a long time since I showed this kind of desire and pushed myself under pressure, so this match means a lot to me.

“In the past, I might have fallen apart in similar situations but this time I just faced it head on and kept believing in myself.”

Weng will next face Leong Jun Hao, carrying a 3-1 head-to-head advantage – and, perhaps more importantly, renewed confidence that his fighting spirit has returned.

Earlier, Weng’s compatriot Chen Yu Fei dug deep to survive a scare, battling past Natsuki Nidaira 19-21 21-19 21-18 in a gripping 91-minute contest.

The day’s longest match looked to be slipping away when Chen trailed 15-10 in the deciding game. But the home favourite raced back to level at 16-all and take control.

Despite escaping with the win, Chen admitted she was far from satisfied with her performance.

“I couldn’t really find my rhythm and ended up following hers instead. Still, I’m happy I pulled through. There are clearly plenty of things I need to work on.”

There were questions over Chen’s fitness after she retired during last week’s Japan Open semifinal against Pusarla V. Sindhu with a thigh injury. The world No.4 assured fans the problem is improving.

“I’ve been getting treatment every day and working hard on it.”

Chen could face Sindhu again in the second round if the Indian overcomes compatriot Unnati Hooda on Wednesday.

China Open remains one of the few major prizes missing from Chen’s collection. Her best result came in 2018, when she finished runner-up to Carolina Marin.

→ Results (Day 1)

→ Order of play (Day 2)

You can also follow the VICTOR China Open 2026 on BWF TV.

** Check your local TV guides for broadcast times and details **

The final Super 1000 of the season is here!

Read these intriguing facts about VICTOR China Open 2026.

• Twenty-two former winners are
• Of those, 18 are seeded.
• One of them is Lee So Hee, who with old partner Chang Ye Na, is one of two non-Chinese pairs to win women’s doubles in the last 34 years. The other duo are Ayaka Takahashi/Misaki Matsutomo.
• Overall, the host nation has missed out on the title in this department on just four of 34 occasions.
• In the post COVID-19 era (since 2023), no country other than China has won the sector.
• Victory for either Lee or Jia Yi Fan will make them the first player in 11 years to win the same doubles event with different partners. Yu Yang achieved the feat in women’s doubles with Tang Yuanting in 2015 after earlier triumphs with Wang Xiaoli.
• Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning also stand to emulate Wang/Yu, the last home tandem to retain their women’s doubles crown in 2012.
• Liu/Tan, alongside Shi Yu Qi and Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping, are the only top seeds to have previously won their events.
• Men’s doubles top seed Seo Seung Jae was mixed doubles champion with Chae Yu Jung in 2023.
• Feng and Huang could become only the second mixed pair after compatriots Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong (2017-2019) to win three consecutive China Opens.
• Another women’s singles title for two-time defending champion Wang Zhi Yi meanwhile, will see her become the second player in tournament history to complete a hattrick after Jiang Yanjiao (2008-2010).
• Should Chen Yu Fei triumph instead, the Tokyo 2020 Paris Olympic champion will end her wait for China Open title at the seventh attempt. She went closest in 2018, finishing runner-up to Carolina Marin.
• Among the current world top five, apart from Wang, only Akane Yamaguchi has the experience of winning this tournament back in 2017.
• A successful title defence for Shi will make him the first since Chen Long in 2013 to keep the men’s singles crown.
• Men’s doubles is the sole category China don’t have the most titles in – Indonesia lead on 11, two more than the home team.
• This year, the Indonesians have two seeded pairs in the discipline, including defending champions Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, who arrive in Changzhou fresh from winning Japan Open.
• Seven teams have seeds in categories they’ve never won – France, Canada and Thailand in men’s singles, Thailand and Indonesia in women’s singles, Japan in men’s doubles, Malaysia in women’s doubles, and Hong Kong China, France and Thailand in mixed doubles.

Standout stat: Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms in 2005 remain the final pair from outside China, Indonesia or Korea to ace mixed doubles.

Chen Yu Fei will contest her home event at VICTOR China Open 2026 – the season’s final Super 1000 – from Position 1 in the women’s singles draw following the withdrawal of injured world No.1 An Se Young.

That Seed Withdrawal Movement has also reshaped the draw, setting up several enticing early matchups in the discipline. Should they both progress past the opening round, Chen will face Pusarla V. Sindhu, who just claimed the Japan Open title on Sunday. Chen retired in their semifinal duel in Tokyo last week.

A potential quarterfinal clash with Ratchanok Intanon also looms in the top half. Chen opens her campaign against Natsuki Nidaira while Pusarla takes on compatriot Unnati Hooda.

Interestingly, Chen has yet to win the China Open, with her best result a runner-up finish in 2018. She will be hoping to capitalise on An’s absence and lift one of the few titles missing from her resume. In the bottom half, Chen’s countrywoman and two-time defending champion Wang Zhi Yi opens against Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour.

The men’s doubles draw will also be without one of its favourites, as third seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty have withdrawn through injury. Reigning champions Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri arrive in Changzhou fresh from their Japan Open triumph and begin the tournament as favourites.

In men’s singles, Indonesia Open champion Victor Lai will make his China Open debut this week. The most recent Super 1000 winner opens his campaign against Chi Yu Jen.

Other withdrawals and promotions:

Withdrawals

Women’s singles: Nozomi Okuhara
Mixed doubles: Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Pasaribu

Promotions

Women’s singles: Han Qian Xi, Sung Shuo Yun
Men’s doubles: Kevin Lee, Ty Alexander Lindeman
Mixed doubles: Kim Jae Hyeon/Jang Ha Jeong

Click here to view the updated draw.

VICTOR China Open 2026 begins tomorrow, with the first match scheduled for 9am Kuala Lumpur time (UTC +8).

Christo Popov delivered a near-flawless performance to claim the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026 to earn a morale-boosting title win ahead of the BWF World Championships next month.

Koki Watanabe had had a draining three-game match against Yushi Tanaka in the semifinals, but to his credit, the home hope didn’t make it easy for the Frenchman, particularly in the second game. Watanabe had his chances in the second, but Popov’s greater sharpness and ability to last the rallies helped him nudge the tape, 21-11 21-19, for his third title of the year.

“This means a lot… it’s confirmation of what I was talking about for the last few months or weeks,” said Popov. “For me, it’s a very big achievement. Most of all, I like to play in Japan. I’m very happy to bring the title this year.

“It’s three times in a row with a Frenchman in the final (in Japan), with Alex (Lanier) playing the last two and me, so that’s great statistics for France here. Most of all, I’m proud of the team. We came here as a very big team here with two medical staff — one physical, one medical, and dad as coach.  And it was great, I would say we had a great bubble-like atmosphere for a week with a lot of confidence that made me perform as well as I can.

“Koki is a very skilful player, and he managed to make me work hard through the whole second game. We had some very long rallies, very difficult rallies, and hopefully I won them with some more physical freshness, as he played more three games, very long matches, especially yesterday again against Yushi Tanaka, so those little details were very crucial today.”

→Results

Kong Hee Yong’s return to competitive badminton following a right knee surgery culminated in a dream title, with the women’s doubles final among the most dramatic in recent times.

Kong was out of action after the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February for the knee surgery and rehab; the world No.8 making a return with Kim Hye Jeong only at the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026. The high point of the return was in the final game against Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian, which went the Koreans’ way, 14-21 21-15 30-29. The see-sawing final game saw either side have six match points before Zhang Shu Xian blew a kill just wide, and the Koreans collapsing in a flood of emotions.

“I didn’t think I could reach the final after my surgery,” said Kong. “I want to thank Kim, she helped me a lot here, and I’m so happy with this title.”

With the final stretch of the third game featuring brilliant winners as well as errors from both sides, Kim said the key was to shut out the mistakes they had made.

“We made a lot of mistakes, but we just had to put in in the past and try not to repeat them.”

Highlights

» While Kim/Kong celebrated their first title of the year, their compatriots Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae’s recent woes continued as they fell 21-19 21-17 to Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. The world No.1, title record-setters in 2025, have now gone three tournaments without winning, while their opponents achieved their first since the China Open last year.

» Mixed doubles saw top seeds Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping hold off a strong challenge from Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet, 21-14 14-21 21-15, to win their second title in a row.

What They Said

“We just need to improve a lot. From every match we need to learn. So this is a learning experience.” – Muhammad Shohibul Fikri

“It’s not that we did something special. We know each others’ game. I think we were just more solid than them today.” – Fajar Alfian

→Results

It has been four years since Pusarla V Sindhu won a title at the upper end of the HSBC BWF World Tour. Her last Super 500 title was over four years ago — the Singapore Open in May 2022. And while there were Super 300 titles and the Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, her last major title had come seven years ago, at the BWF World Championships 2019.

The relief and joy at breaking this pattern was written all over her face as she revelled in the feeling of winning the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026; the Super 750 triumph marking a high point in her career, and putting her back in the conversation as a contender at the upcoming BWF World Championships.

Facing home icon Akane Yamaguchi, the most successful winner here with four titles, Pusarla showed the willingness to trade with Yamaguchi on her own terms when needed. A 44-shot rally early in the second game was illustrative – the Indian chasing everything and wearing the Japanese down. There were some twists and turns the rest of the way, but Yamaguchi, having played two draining matches before the final, could not summon up the reserves as she typically does, and Pusarla was able to nail the match in straight games, 21-17 21-17.

“Very very happy, just out of words,” said Pusarla.

“It was 19 months since I won (Syed Modi International, Super 300), and this was very important for me, because coming to the final is one thing, but to win and stand on the podium getting that gold is a different thing altogether.

“You never know what will happen. Even though I was leading, I was making mistakes. So it was important for me to stay calm and focus on each point.

“It was important for me to stay positive all the time. With the top players you can’t take it easy. It was important to maintain the same aggressiveness. I couldn’t control my emptions at the end. There were some long rallies, and I won some of those big rallies, and that was important.”

Her vanquished opponent acknowledged she’d been outplayed.

“I am so upset,” said Yamaguchi. “I have no injury, but I was just little bit tired because I had long matches earlier, so I could not play fast. I tried to make points from my defense, but her attack was very good. My play wasn’t good enough today. Sindhu played very well, she was very aggressive, and her smash was strong.”

→Results

It has been a while since Pusarla V Sindhu made a major final. Her last World Tour final at a Super 500 tournament was over 25 months ago – the Malaysia Masters in May 2024. For anything above that level, the clock has to be dialled back 55 months, when she was in the title round of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021.

The return to title contention came with her first victory over Chen Yu Fei in six matches. Chen retired with a pulled muscle in her right thigh, with the Indian leading 21-19 15-10, but the retirement took nothing away from Pusarla, who looked close to her best all match and had Chen fighting a rearguard battle throughout.

“I wanted to play at 100 per cent but she played very well, her attack was explosive and I was always defending,” said Chen.

“I wasn’t comfortable. I felt I couldn’t go on in the second. I felt this pain during yesterday’s match, so I did a lot of massage and acupuncture, but today too I felt it. It’s something that I picked up in the match yesterday.”

Pusarla was happy with how well she had handled the mental side of the match.

“I’m very happy that I’m in the final. Today it was important to be focussed against a player like her. I was leading and she came close, so I had to be focussed.”

But the Indian does face another formidable challenge in the quest for her first Japan Open title, for she faces its most prolific winner, Akane Yamaguchi who has four titles.

Yamaguchi, who had pulled off an escape act in her quarterfinal, once again dragged herself back into contention in the semifinals after being blitzed 21-9 in the opening game by Putri Kusuma Wardani. Like she has innumerable times before, Yamaguchi kept up her relentless pace, deflating Wardani with sheer stubbornness even in the most hopeless of situations.

“Akane played faster in the second game,” said Wardani. “She knew what she had to do. It is what it is – she’s one of the best players, but I tried my best. I’m disappointed about the result but I’m proud of myself.”

“The support here has helped me come through,” said Yamaguchi. “It was about just trying hard all the way – a lot of people are rooting for me here, and I can’t let them down.”

→Results

Once Akane Yamaguchi had staged a surreal comeback, there was no looking back for Japan. The home fans’ reigning deity, nearly down and out against Kim Ga Eun, broke her opponent’s heart as she completed her 11^th straight victory over the Korean.

What followed was a dream day for Japan, with Yushi Tanaka upstaging No.2 seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn to enter his maiden Super 750 semifinal, Koki Watanabe taking down third seed Anders Antonsen, and Kodai Naraoka prevailing in a 98-minute marathon against Alwi Farhan.

There were the victories in doubles as well, with Akira Koga/Natsu Saito, Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi and Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto taking their places in the semifinals. Japan had won all seven of their matches today.

Kim, who had very nearly pulled off the heist, tried to smile bravely after the bruising encounter, but the pain showed, for she’d had leads of 11-3 and 15-9 before Yamaguchi nicked it at 22-20 in the third.

Tanaka made his first Super 750 semifinal with a performance of such speed and attacking precision that it caught Kunlavut Vitidsarn off-guard. The second seed was all praise for his opponent at the end of his 20-22 21-16 21-18 defeat.

“My opponent is very fast and was better than me at everything. Tanaka kept the pressure high all the time. My control wasn’t great today.

“Today he kept up high pressure, I couldn’t lift, and I couldn’t spin. He’s fast and jumps high and he catches the shuttle high at the net.

“I came to learn on the court. I’m just coming back from my back injury, I’ll try again. I give credit to Yushi – today he was better than me. He covered the court better than me.”

Tanaka oozed confidence.

“I told myself beating him wasn’t beyond me, because I think I can beat anyone. This is my first time in a semifinal at the Japan Open, I’m very happy about it. I will try to treat the audience to some good badminton!

“I tried to find something to push myself, but he is very skilful so I told myself to wait for my chances. I still have a lot to improve on; I made a few mistakes in a row, so that’s something I should work on.”

→Results (Quarterfinals)