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。

Click here for results

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。”
Click here for Match Centre.

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。

Click here for Match Centre.

Download the Badminton4U app here.

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)

Just five tournaments into their partnership, Jimmy Wong and Cheng Su Yin knocked out in-form pair Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje on their way to a first semifinal.

It was Christiansen and Boje’s earliest defeat since the All England in March, after which they had embarked on a brilliant run which saw them win four titles from five finals.

Wong and Cheng, whose partnership started at the Malaysia Masters where they ran into the Danes, turned it around today with a calm performance, disallowing the Danes any substantial opening.

After a late surge in the opening game, the world No.118 duo shot ahead early in the second and kept their lead, closing out the match 21-17 21-17 to ensure their debut appearance in an HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750 semifinal.

“We’re very happy and satisfied with our performance,” said Wong. “We are the underdogs, so we had to be patient, not rush, and believe in ourselves. We could do what we wanted to do. They are more experienced, and tactically they are better than us, but we won because we were more patient.

“Honestly, we were a bit nervous because it’s our first time at this stage. We just reminded ourselves to be patient. If we played too tactically and rushed them, we could not challenge them. We played them once and we rushed, and we couldn’t challenge them. So we just had to be patient.”

Wardani Steamrolls Wang

Wang Zhi Yi suffered one of her most comprehensive losses in recent times, crashing out to Putri Kusuma Wardani 9-21 21-17 21-4 for the first time in eight matches. The third game was a total rout, with Wang moving on leaden feet, while Wardani, to her credit, took care to play the patient game and pick her winners.

“Honestly, I had no expectations at all, as I had never beaten her in seven previous matches. I played with nothing to lose. My coach asked me to enjoy the game, and not think too much,” said Wardani.

“She plays a steady game, so I thought if I can just keep returning the shuttle, I’d have a chance. Of course this gives me a lot of confidence for tomorrow.”

→Results (Quarterfinals)

At the end of a day in which Lauren Lam/Allison Lee had pulled off the sensational upset of third seeds Baek Na Na/Lee So Hee, there was more good news for USA at the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026.

Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith followed up in the last match with an upset of their own, knocking out world No.16 Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard in straight games. For Team USA, it couldn’t have been scripted better, with both pairs making the quarterfinals of an HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750 event for the first time.

Lam and Lee were a game and 1-9 down to world No.3 Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee before staging the turnaround. Chipping away at the deficit and pulling level at 12, the underdogs gained in confidence and had the Koreans under pressure.

The third game was all one-way traffic with Baek and Lee unsure of how to contain the surge of their opponents, and the world No.21 pair came away winners at 9-21 21-18 21-12.

”We didn’t have a good start,” said Lam. “And then, in the second, we were down 9-1, and I just told Allison to just fight, just one point at a time. And then slowly, point after point we kept getting our momentum. Honestly, it was pretty nerve-racking, it was really tough.

“Once I was in it, I wasn’t really thinking about anything, because I just kept telling myself to keep going, keep going, keep focusing. It’s a lot of mental. In the third game, even though it was 12, you never really know what’s going to happen. At 19 or 20 it’s the hardest point mentally.”

“It’s one of our biggest wins, it just feels very surreal,” said Lee. “We play these players all the time. So I think we just had to learn how to adapt. Honestly, coming into the match, we were a little bit overwhelmed. I mean they’re No.3, we’re like, we’re the underdogs and we just played safe and passive.

“But then with point after point, we kept fighting, challenge after challenge, we challenged many shots. We thought we we can really do this; after that we just kept going, kept our focus, and I think that led to the win.”

World No.17 Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith had a quicker path to the quarterfinals. Lundgaard and Vestergaard, who won the Malaysia Masters in June, were shut out of the contest in just 35 minutes, 21-15 21-12.

“Last year we were really close to the quarters here, so it feels good to get it this time. We play pretty well. They’ve been doing well this year. We had a good strategy, because they like to come up and attack the net, so we just tried to play past them, so that worked in our favour,” said Smith.

“Double quarters (for USA) is pretty good. At the moment I’m not feeling anything — I’m just super-tired. We’ve been waiting for the match the whole day, because we saw we were last, I was a little anxious and nervous, but once I was on court it all went away.”

Brian Yang Stretches Shi

Pan Am looked set for more great news, with Brian Yang staying toe-to-toe with Shi Yu Qi, but the top seed fired the big weapons when he had to, and squeezed out a 16-21 21-19 21-18 victory.

Yang admitted that Shi’s ability to get the lifts for his smash was one of his special qualities.

“His front court ability to spin, get the lift and his attack is just world-class, he’s No.1 for a reason,” said Yang. “Maybe in the earlier stages of the game, he was struggling a bit with his feeling and his aim. Once you hit 15 and later, that’s where you want to be, especially for him and I was unable to deal with it.

“I had chances to close it out, I was leading most of the second game, I had 19-17, but towards the end, once I started getting closer to 21, I was overthinking and got a bit nervous. I made a lot of easy mistakes. My hands were getting really tight, and overthinking and my touch was off the last few points.”

Other Highlights

» Jimmy Wong/Cheng Su Yin pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the day, beating sixth seeds Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue 23-21 24-22 after trailing 5-11 in the second game.

» Alex Lanier was another French casualty, as the No.7 seed crashed out to Alwi Farhan 9-21 21-14 21-16.

» However, Lanier’s compatriot Christo Popov overcame an early setback against Leong Jun Hao to pull through comfortably at the end, 16-21 21-11 21-17.

What They Said

“Quite a big one, we were lucky. On the crucial points, it’s about how daring you are, how strong is your mentality. I kept telling her, because she was a bit nervous, I told myself too – ‘Don’t think too much’. That’s how I could calm myself.” – Jimmy Wong, after he and Cheng Su Yin beat Gicquel/Delrue

“It only took two minutes, and then it was too far to catch up. That’s where it’s all on me. She also put a lot of pressure. I felt I had to keep hitting high quality shots, and that forced a lot of errors and made me nervous at the end. All her shots are aggressive. It was all very quick – so it was either I die or she dies. Keeping the shuttle in was tough.” – Michelle Li, after losing to Sim Yu Jin

“Overall it’s been good. I’m happy with the way I’m playing. There is still a month to go for the World Championships, and I’m happy it’s happening on home ground. These wins will give me the confidence, so this matters a lot.” – Pusarla V Sindhu, after beating Han Yue

→Results (Round 2)

Returning to the circuit after a back muscle tear disrupted his last two tournaments, Kunlavut Vitidsarn survived a stiff opening test from Ayush Shetty at the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026.

The No.2 seed had retired from his last two matches, at the Singapore Open and Indonesia Open, and said he was feeling much better, although he had yet to fully recover.

Against Shetty, who had beaten him during their last contest at the Badminton Asia Championships in April, Vitidsarn took his time to find the answers, before he eventually pulled away in the third game.

“Shetty was very good,” acknowledged Vitidsarn. “For me, I’m coming back after one month and I hope to try everything. Whoever put more pressure first can gain the advantage. I lost to him last time but I didn’t think about that. I just have to try everything before the World Championships.

“Everybody see my condition – I don’t yet feel like a top player. The pain is still there but it’s like three out of 10. I had back pain the last few tournaments and I could recover after the Indonesia Open. This year there are two big tournaments. I try not to think too much.”

Shetty, who has struggled with an arm injury in recent weeks, matched Vitidsarn shot for shot through the first two games before falling behind in the third.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match but I was keeping up the pace and moving well,” said Shetty. “I know I’m coming back from injury but I think I was playing some good badminton. I managed to play really well on a few points to pull off the second game but he upped the pace in the third and I was impatient on a few points.

“I did well in a few areas, like I was approaching the net well. But Kunlavut changed the game a bit; in the third he controlled the net and he didn’t give me any chance. He played some really good lifts and deceptions.

“A bit disappointed with the loss but I played well and coming back from the injury, it was a good match.”

Shetty’s compatriot Lakshya Sen too came up short, falling in his opening round to home hope Koki Watanabe, 21-16 21-14.

Among the close matches of the day was Presley Smith/Jennie Gai falling 18-21 21-17 22-20 to Chan Yin Chak/Ng Tsz Yau. It was a battle all the way, with the USA pair inching ahead at the end only for the opportunity to slip their grasp.

“It was tough, he (Chan) used to be a singles player; his touch and feeling are different compared to an average mixed doubles player who’s faster in the back and simple in the front,” said Smith. “He has a tricky crosscourt and has a nice wrist, so it’s almost a different game.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was Chou Tien Chen’s tame defeat to Nhat Nguyen, 21-19 21-6. The sixth seed said he hadn’t been in the best shape, after spending some time yesterday outdoors in the sun obliging fans.

→ Results (Day 2)

WHAT THEY SAID

“I couldn’t find rhythm and I felt very heavy on court. Credit to him, I didn’t get any easy points. I’ve had a great training period for the past five weeks but maybe the rhythm was not there after six weeks of not competing.” – Sen

“We had a few chances. It’s frustrating we weren’t able to capitalise on it. Easy mistakes too, so it stings a little bit now. I was able to challenge and win the front and we were able to keep the pace in the flat game but in the crucial points we were lacking a bit.” – Gai

On this day, exactly two years from now, the Olympic Games will begin. LA28 will mark the third time that Los Angeles will be hosting the Olympics, after 1932 and 1984.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the 2028 Stadium Inglewood will be the venues of the dual-location opening ceremony for the Games, set to be held 14-30 July 2028. The event will mark the Coliseum’s third time hosting Olympic ceremonies, having previously done so in 1932 and 1984, and will represent the first Olympic use of the Stadium in Inglewood.

The badminton competition at Galen Center will begin 8am local time on Saturday 15 July, and will conclude on Monday 24 July.

For fans looking to partake of the Olympic experience up close, the second drop of tickets opens today. Register by 22 July for the opportunity. Check out all the details here: tickets.la28.org

Meanwhile, with the Olympics on home turf, USA’s Lauren Lam and Allison Lee can feel the anticipation building up.

“When we are back home, random people come up to us and say they’ve been looking forward to us playing in LA,” said Lee. “There’s a lot of attention now on badminton. I’m pretty impressed because a lot of people now know the sport compared to two years ago.”

“Right now, with the team we have, a lot of people are recognising that we can do well,” said Lam. “With every tournament, it’s hard not to think about. We try our best to take it match by match. We try not to think about it all the time but definitely it’s there in the background.”

Brian Yang claimed his first big-name victim in a while as he fought to a three-game win over Loh Kean Yew to make the second round of  DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026.

The Canadian, who has struggled to find form on the HSBC BWF World Tour over the last year, last beat a top 10 player in January, at the India Open. Against the Singaporean world No.13, Yang kept his composure through an uneven third game, shaking off a mini-comeback by Loh to close it out 21-17 18-21 21-18.

“Of course, we all know that Kean Yew is a really talented player. So coming into today’s match, the pressure was more on him, he’s the higher seed, so that kind of helped me win,” said Yang. “I was able to play more patient, not too rushed, especially because this arena is really big, it’s hard to kill the shuttle. So patience is key.”

Yang admitted his form had been scratchy, mainly due to a lack of confidence in the endgame.

“Overall, it’s a bit below-par, there’s some ups and downs, a kind of a rough patch for me right now, just trying to take what’s good and leave what isn’t working.

“It’s been a lot of trial and error and a lot of ups and downs but hopefully in the near future, I can find my feeling and get better results.

“I think confidence is a big part of it, and also just that endgame kind of dealing with the pressure, dealing with what’s going on. Mentality is a huge part of sport, especially badminton, being able to deal with that is important.

“So it’s a big win against a good player, and I think that’s much needed for me in this time, so hopefully I can build on that.”

Buhrova Dashes Home Hopes

Polina Buhrova staged a remarkable come-from-behind effort to upstage local hope Riko Gunji.

The Ukrainian, trailing 15-10 and 19-16 in the third, clung on and erased the deficit before taking the match on her second match point.

“Of course I’m happy that I could fight until the end. But many opportunities were wasted I’d say. But I’m happy to come back as a winner.

“It was a bit weird when we went on court and everyone was shouting for her, and then when I was making the points, there was silence. But I always enjoy it here because this is my team’s place, with Team Yonex, so I always enjoy playing in this arena.

“I’m happy I could play a good match because we were preparing for this with my coach saying it must be a good practise for me. I was just trying to do my strokes, use my new footwork and new skills I’ve been working on. I’m happy I could follow the instructions of my coach even if she was not with me this time unfortunately. I was doing the stuff needed, not always, so we could see some gaps in the game. It’s never perfect but we are always trying to reach perfection. So I’m happy but many things remain to work on. Let’s see the next round.

Other Highlights

» Thailand’s Hathaithip Mijad/Napapakorn Tungkasatan, who only made the main draw due to a late withdrawal, had top seeds Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning in their sights before the opportunity slipped.

» There were a couple of upsets in the morning session, with No.4 seed Jonatan Christie falling to rising star Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul and Ratchanok Intanon crashing out to Sim Yu Jin.

→ Results (Day 1)

Have a gander through some standout facts and figures around DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026, the season’s third HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750 event.

• For the second consecutive year, all five reigning champions return to defend their titles.
• China are the only nation with seeded entries across all five categories.
• This century, they have not produced titlists at just three editions (2004, 2012, 2023).
• No country has ruled a sector quite like China have in mixed doubles over the past decade. They have won six of the eight finals since 2016.
• Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping are the only top seeds yet to capture the Japan Open. Huang, however, is a two-time mixed doubles champion alongside Wang Yi Lyu (2017, 2019).
• Should Tse Ying Suet lift the mixed doubles crown with Tang Chun Man, she would become the first player to win two disciplines since Christinna Pedersen in 2016.
• Tse, the women’s doubles winner with Poon Lok Yan in 2012, could emulate Pedersen, who took women’s doubles with Kamilla Rytter Juhl in 2016, a season after acing mixed doubles alongside Joachim Fischer Nielsen.
• Mixed doubles is the category in which all their three triumphs have come for Thailand, who possess men’s singles second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
• After Akane Yamaguchi ended their 32-year wait for a home champion in 2013, Japan have celebrated podium toppers at every edition except 2016 and 2025.
• Third seed Yamaguchi is chasing a record-breaking fifth crown, which would move her one clear of Li Lingwei as the most successful women’s singles player.
• Remarkably, three of Yamaguchi’s four Japan Open triumphs have come in the last five editions.
• She already accounts for 80 per cent of Japan’s women’s singles titles at the tournament. Nozomi Okuhara is the other local player to have prevailed in 2015.
• Among returning former champions, Okuhara’s 11-year drought is the lengthiest.
• Top seeds Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning stand to become the first women’s pair since four-time winners Ge Fei/Gu Jun (1995, 1997-1999) to top the podium thrice.
• They will also be the first since their illustrious compatriots to taste glory for three straight seasons.

Standout Stat: India are the sole nation with seeded entry (men’s doubles No.3 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty) still waiting for their maiden Japan Open titlists.

Tomoka Miyazaki, face of Gen Z in Japanese women’s singles, is the prominent presence on the posters of DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026. Her seniors Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara are still in the thick of things but Miyazaki appeals to a different demographic.

However, there is one Gen Z talent coming to the Japan Open on the back of her biggest triumph – Riko Gunji, winner of the Canada Open earlier this month, her first HSBC BWF World Tour title.

Gunji was in fact world junior champion three years before Miyazaki achieved the feat. Unlike Miyazaki, who had a steady path into her senior career, Gunji struggled to cope with the demands of the circuit and had to play her wares in the lower tiers before she became a regular presence at its elite end last year.

It was a year ago – at the Japan Open – that she had her breakthrough moment, making the semifinals of the Super 750 event.

“The biggest change I experienced was the Japan Open last year,” Gunji had said, during the Asian leg of tournaments before she found the form that brought her her first Super 300 win. “It was the highest level I’d experienced. I trained before the tournament and I found out what I had to do. There were some things on which I had worked on intensively and that made a big difference.

“When I was a junior, I enjoyed playing. It wasn’t the same in the seniors. When I went to the seniors, I felt I wasn’t good and I didn’t enjoy training. But I could recognise the result of hard training – it would give good results. So we trained a lot and I started to find joy in training and playing now.”

All along, she had one lodestar – her senior Yamaguchi, who she somewhat resembled in her junior years.

“When I was a junior player, she was my star, my idol, the one I wanted to reach,” said Gunji, coming across as an unabashed fan of the three-time world champion. “Now that I’ve come so far and I’m playing alongside her in the same team, I’m honoured. At the same time, she’s still my star. I’ve learnt a lot from her. We play and train together.

“The most important thing I learnt from Yamaguchi is how to play at the world stage, where there’s so much pressure. She experiences so much pressure because everyone expects her to win. But she still fights and she enjoys the game. In the beginning, I felt the pressure was great and I couldn’t play my way. I’ve learnt a lot from her, and to play my best and enjoy it at the same time.”

On her return to her home event, Gunji faces Polina Buhrova; should she progress, she could run into either Chen Yu Fei or Supanida Katethong.

Meanwhile, yet another of Japan’s Gen Z talents, Hina Akechi, has a formidable task as she takes on top seed An Se Young.

In men’s singles, the prominent name missing is Victor Lai, winner of the Indonesia Open. Top seed Shi Yu Qi runs into recently-crowned Canada Open champion Yudai Okimoto, while second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn has an opening date with Ayush Shetty.

Promotions

Men’s doubles: Keiichiro Matsui/Kenya Mitsuhashi
Women’s doubles: Hathathip Mijad/N Tungkasatan
Mixed doubles: Liu Kuang Heng/Hsu Yin-Hui

Withdrawals

Men’s doubles: Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju
Women’s doubles: Arisa Igarashi/Chiharu Shida
Mixed doubles: Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Pasaribu

→ Order of play (Day 1)

You can also follow the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026 on BWF TV.

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