Category: Events

“Latest Badminton Tournament News & Updates: Stay Ahead of the Game”

  • Men’s Doubles Van der Lecq/Wassink Wins Belgian International

    Men’s Doubles Van der Lecq/Wassink Wins Belgian International

    Ties van der Lecq and Brian Wassink claimed the men’s doubles title at the 2024 Belgian International in Leuven. The Dutch duo (WR-92) triumphed in a thrilling final, defeating the French pair Julien Maio and William Villeger (WR-143) with scores of 21-17 and 22-20.

    This victory marks the first international title for Van der Lecq and Wassink.

  • China Open: Stars Returning to Paris Face Mixed Fortunes

    China Open: Stars Returning to Paris Face Mixed Fortunes

    On the first day of the 2024 VICTOR China Open in Changzhou, the performances of Paris 2024 men’s singles silver and bronze medalists, Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Lee Zii Jia, were strikingly different.

    After winning Thailand’s first-ever badminton medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Vitidsarn took a full month off and was unsure about his performance in his first HSBC BWF World Tour match.

    “I didn’t come here with the intention to win. I’m here to learn and take it step by step. So, I’m pleased to have won my first match back,” he said.

    Despite a slow start, which gave him time to adjust to the fast and unpredictable conditions, the defending world champion overcame Su Li Yang in a tough three-game match with scores of 20-22, 21-14, 21-15.

    “I played well today because the shuttlecock was fast and difficult to control. The pressure from the Olympics was significant, but I aim to perform my best in every match, as qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals is very important to me,” he added.

    On the other hand, Lee Zii Jia expressed his frustration, stating he is still struggling with some physical issues. He lost to Japanese player Koki Watanabe with scores of 15-21, 2-21.

    Lee discussed the situation with coach Huang Da Ming.

    “Post-Olympics, my body has been in a strange condition. I’ve had many injuries, but I don’t know why. I seem unable to fully recover, but things are improving,” Lee said.

    “When I train with a certain intensity, I feel sore all over. My elbows and knees ache, and my back has become stiff.”

    “I need to resolve these issues because I must be in top condition to qualify for the World Tour Finals.”

    The Malaysian player made a comeback in August at the 2024 Daihatsu Japan Open, where he lost in the first round to eventual champion Alex Lanier. He announced his withdrawal from the Korea and Hong Kong tournaments to prioritize his health.

    Now, he will take similar steps, returning to Kuala Lumpur to reassess his condition and prepare for the 2024 Yonex Royal Arctic Open in Finland next month.

    “My condition is not yet optimal, and I need to keep working to reach my best form.”

  • Carraggi Claims First International Challenge Title on Home Turf

    Carraggi Claims First International Challenge Title on Home Turf

    The YONEX Belgian International concluded a fantastic week of badminton at Sportoase in Leuven, Belgium, with thrilling finals yesterday.

    The highlight of the finals was Julien Carraggi’s impressive victory in the men’s singles. As the second seed, Carraggi defeated the top-seeded Dane Mads Christophersen in a gripping three-game final, with scores of 21-16, 12-21, 21-19. This triumph marks Carraggi’s debut win at the International Challenge level, complementing his previous two titles in the European Circuit at the International Series level.

    Carraggi expressed his feelings to Badminton Vlaanderen after his win: “It was an emotional match. After a grueling tournament, where I played three games each day, my legs were cramping by the end. However, the audience’s support pushed me through. I’ve never seen such a large crowd for a match in Belgium before. I hope I was able to entertain them.”

  • European players face major challenges at 2024 China Open

    European players face major challenges at 2024 China Open

    The 2024 VICTOR China Open has kicked off, and the first-round matches were fiercely contested.

    French player Christo Popov fought hard in an intense match against Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei, dragging the game into three sets but ultimately losing with a score of 14-21, 21-12, 19-21. Both Christo and his brother Toma Junior Popov also exited early in the men’s doubles event.

    Other European players, such as Mia Blichfeldt from Denmark and the Ukrainian pair Oleksii Titov and Yevheniia Kantemyr, also saw their Super 1000 campaigns end prematurely.

    Thankfully, there were some uplifting victories during the day. Danish player Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt, who had a strong run in last week’s Hong Kong quarterfinals, opened her China campaign with a comfortable win.

    In the doubles events, European players secured a few wins; England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy battled through three sets to defeat Malaysia’s Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong 18-21, 21-19, 21-15. Likewise, Denmark’s Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch, as well as 8th seeds Rasmus Kjær and Frederik Søgaard, secured victories alongside Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr.

  • Guo Xinwa apologizes after first-round exit: “I let everyone down”

    Guo Xinwa apologizes after first-round exit: “I let everyone down”

    Guo Xinwa recently finished as runner-up at the Korea Open with Li Qian. However, this week at the 2024 China Badminton Open, he partnered with Chen Fanghui. Unfortunately, the duo lost 1-2 to the Danish pair Mads/Boje in the first round.

    After the match, Guo Xinwa posted an apology: “The Changzhou Open ended today, and I’m sorry I couldn’t win the match and disappointed everyone. I really wanted to perform well in front of my home crowd and deliver an exciting match, but I have to accept the loss, regroup, and prepare for the upcoming tournaments. Thank you to everyone who came to cheer for me at the venue and for those who continue to support me. I wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

  • Lei Lanxi Upsets Axelsen, Li Shifeng Exits Early

    Lei Lanxi Upsets Axelsen, Li Shifeng Exits Early

    On September 18, in the first round of the 2024 China Badminton Open, Lei Lanxi avenged his loss in last week’s Hong Kong Open final by defeating Viktor Axelsen in a surprise 2-1 (21-19, 17-21, 21-16) victory.

    Axelsen’s travel was delayed due to a typhoon passing through Changzhou, and his flight was postponed. He only arrived in Changzhou at 8 p.m. last night and didn’t have time for warm-up training. After the match, Axelsen admitted the external factors affected him: “Because of the typhoon, I didn’t arrive in Changzhou until 8 p.m. yesterday, and I felt a bit fatigued. But I must admit that my opponent played very well today. Congratulations to him on the victory.”

    Lei Lanxi attributed his win to his fighting spirit: “This time I was faster than the last match, and with the strong winds in Changzhou, I dared to push the pace and make breakthroughs. The key was fighting for every point and never giving up on any rally.”

    In other Chinese men’s singles results, Shi Yuqi advanced with a 2-0 (21-10, 21-19) win over Wang Tzu Wei. Meanwhile, Lu Guangzu lost a close 1-2 (22-24, 21-11, 18-21) match to Li Jiahao, and 4th seed Li Shifeng continued his poor form, losing 0-2 (17-21, 18-21) to Chou Tien Chen. Both Lu and Li were knocked out in the first round.

    Li Shifeng noted that although the scores were close, Chou’s aggressive style put him under pressure. Li had opportunities after 11 points but made several critical mistakes, which affected his mentality. After struggling for over half a year, Li hopes to regain his confidence in this new Olympic cycle.

    With Viktor Axelsen’s surprising exit and top seed Shi Yuqi still recovering from injury, the men’s singles competition has become more open. Players like Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Anders Antonsen, and Jonatan Christie all have opportunities to claim the title.

  • 2024 China Badminton Open: Li Shifeng Exits Early Again

    2024 China Badminton Open: Li Shifeng Exits Early Again

    On September 18, in the first round of the 2024 China Badminton Open, 4th seed Li Shifeng continued his poor form, losing 0-2 (17-21, 18-21) to Chou Tien Chen, suffering another early exit.

    In the BWF men’s singles rankings, Li Shifeng is ranked 4th, while veteran Chou Tien Chen is 9th. In this new Los Angeles Olympic cycle, Li Shifeng’s first home tournament ended in a first-round exit, undoubtedly leaving him disappointed.

    In the first game, the two were tied at 15-15 after a close start, but Li Shifeng made several unforced errors, allowing Chou to pull ahead 18-15. At this point, Li’s nerves got the better of him, leading to consecutive mistakes, and he lost the game 17-21.

    In the second game, Chou came out strong, leading 9-1 and 12-2. Li Shifeng fought back to 15-15 and later to 18-18, but unfortunately, Chou was more confident in the critical points, and Li eventually lost the match.

    Although the two games were close, Li Shifeng admitted afterward that Chou’s aggressive style put him on the defensive. He had chances to come back after 11 points but made too many mistakes during key moments, affecting his mentality. Li Shifeng has been struggling with poor results for more than half a year and hopes to regain his confidence in this new Olympic cycle.

  • Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin advance to quarterfinals after one match

    Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin advance to quarterfinals after one match

    After two days of matches, the round of 16 has been determined for all events at the 2024 China Badminton Open. Both the men’s and women’s singles saw several upsets, with two former world No. 1 players being eliminated in the first round, and six seeded players failing to advance. The doubles events faced an awkward situation with 12 byes and four withdrawals.

    In men’s singles, the former world No. 1 eliminated was Viktor Axelsen, who lost after a tough 3-game match to Chinese youngster Lei Lanxi, 19-21, 21-17, 16-21. Besides second seed Axelsen’s early exit, fourth seed Li Shifeng of China lost 17-21, 18-21 to Taiwanese veteran Chou Tien Chen, failing to make it to the round of 16. Third seed Lee Zii Jia suffered his most humiliating defeat, losing 15-21, 2-21 to Japan’s Koki Watanabe, marking the lowest score in China Open history and Lee’s personal lowest in recent years.

    In women’s singles, Tai Tzu Ying was the player eliminated. She battled Denmark’s Line Christophersen in a three-game thriller but ultimately lost 14-21, 21-7, 19-21. With this first-round exit, Tai’s hopes of reaching the World Tour Finals are now in serious jeopardy.

    The mixed doubles category saw a significant number of withdrawals, leading to an unusual situation. After Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin won 21-19, 21-13 against Chiu Hsiang Chieh/Lin Zhi Yun, they automatically advanced to the quarterfinals due to a lack of opponents, having only played one match. The mixed doubles event saw four first-round byes and three withdrawals, while the women’s doubles had an astonishing eight byes and one withdrawal. It’s hard to believe this is happening in a top-tier BWF World Tour 1000 event. The reason behind this is the reorganization of women’s and mixed doubles pairs by many teams.

  • Viktor Axelsen Penalized for Signature Swaying Serve!

    Viktor Axelsen Penalized for Signature Swaying Serve!

    In the first round of the 2024 China Badminton Open men’s singles yesterday, Viktor Axelsen faced Lei Lanxi. Right at the start, Axelsen showcased his signature swaying serve. However, the referee wasn’t lenient this time and immediately penalized him a point.

    It’s well known that Axelsen often sways side to side during his serve, something that has irritated many players.

    Last week, during the quarterfinals of the 2024 Hong Kong Badminton Open, Axelsen played against Chou Tien Chen. At 11-13 in the second game, Chou mimicked Axelsen’s serve by dramatically swaying side to side and pausing for two seconds before serving, showing his discontent.

    Although the Badminton World Federation (BWF) doesn’t have specific rules about serve duration, referees have discretionary power. In this match, Irish referee Mois Halpin clearly didn’t want to indulge Axelsen. According to Danish media reports, this is the first time Axelsen’s signature serve has been penalized.

    Axelsen immediately approached the referee to argue, to which Halpin responded, “Your serve took too long!”

    Axelsen’s serve this time took 4 seconds, which led to the penalty. In the past, his serves had sometimes taken even longer without penalties. This time, even Danish media outlet TV2 didn’t side with Axelsen, with a badminton commentator pointing out that Axelsen had been pushing the limits of the rules for a long time. The BWF seems keen to crack down on such serving behaviors, and the referee’s decision serves as a warning to Axelsen that this issue is now on their radar.

    After losing the point due to his serve at the beginning, Axelsen noticeably sped up his serves for the rest of the match.

  • 2024 China Open Historical Data

    2024 China Open Historical Data

    The final Super 1000 event of the season—the 2024 China Open—is underway. Let’s take a look at some of the past data from this tournament!

    There are a total of 10 former champions competing in this year’s event.

    One of them is Lee So-hee, who, alongside former partner Chang Ye-na, is one of only two non-Chinese pairs to have won the women’s doubles title in the past 32 years. The other pair is Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi.

    Among the players participating in this year’s tournament, only Lee So-hee and the men’s doubles pair Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang have previously won the title as top seeds.

    In 1995, the duo Huang Zhanzhong and Jiang Xin successfully defended their men’s doubles title. This year, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang hope to follow in their footsteps and defend their title.

    Men’s doubles is also the event where China has the fewest number of titles, with Indonesia holding the advantage in this category.

    Men’s singles top seed Shi Yuqi is eager to make it to the finals; his best performance so far has been reaching the semifinals.

    China is experiencing a title drought in the women’s singles category, with the last champion being Li Xuerui in 2015. Wang Zhiyi and Han Yue are strong contenders to break that streak this year.

    If Viktor Axelsen wins this year, he will become the first European men’s singles player to defend the title.

    Five teams have earned seed spots in events they have never won before—Thailand (men’s singles), Indonesia (women’s singles), Chinese Taipei (women’s singles and men’s doubles), Malaysia (women’s doubles), and Hong Kong (mixed doubles).

  • Lei Lanxi to Face Axelsen Again Next Week

    Lei Lanxi to Face Axelsen Again Next Week

    China Secures 2 Titles and 3 Runner-Ups at the Hong Kong Open

    On the evening of September 15, the 2024 China Hong Kong Badminton Open concluded with China’s national team, fielding a partial main lineup, claiming two championships and three runner-up finishes. On September 17, the Chinese team will head to Changzhou, Jiangsu, to compete in the China Open, one of the highest-level and richest prize money events in the BWF World Tour.


    Lei Lanxi Falls Short Against Viktor Axelsen in Men’s Singles Final

    In the men’s singles final, Chinese player Lei Lanxi, who reached his first BWF Super 500 final, faced off against Denmark’s two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen. The gap in skill between the two was evident, with Lei losing 9-21, 12-21, missing out on his first major tour title. Despite the defeat, Lei’s performance at the Hong Kong Open was commendable, especially his upset victory over Indonesian star Jonatan Christie in the semifinals.

    Interestingly, Lei Lanxi’s first-round opponent at the upcoming China Open will be none other than Viktor Axelsen, the No. 2 seed. This means the two will clash twice in three days, and given the current circumstances, Lei will find it challenging to get past Axelsen.

    Han Yue Wins Women’s Singles Title, Ending 11-Month Drought

    In the women’s singles final, China’s Han Yue took on Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani. Han won in straight sets, 21-18, 21-7, to secure her title and end an 11-month championship drought. Han Yue will face teammate Gao Fangjie in the first round of the China Open.


    Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin Claim Mixed Doubles Title

    China’s second title came in the mixed doubles event, where Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin defeated their compatriots Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping 2-0. As the third-ranked Chinese mixed doubles team, they upset the second-ranked team to claim the victory. In next week’s China Open, Jiang and Wei will face pairs from Malaysia and Chinese Taipei in the first round.


    Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning Disappoint in Women’s Doubles Final

    In the women’s doubles final at the Hong Kong Open, Paris Olympic silver medalists Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning struggled and lost 0-2 to Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie/Thinaah Muralitharan. The “Sheng-Tan” pair will have a bye in the first round of the China Open and will begin their campaign in the second round.


    Men’s Doubles Remains China’s Weakest Event

    Men’s doubles was the only event where no Chinese player made it to the final at the Hong Kong Open, highlighting China’s struggles in this category. However, there is hope as Olympic silver medalists and China’s top men’s doubles pair, Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang, will finally return to action after a series of post-Olympic activities and rest. As defending champions, they are the top seeds in the China Open and will face France’s Popov brothers in the first round.

  • Shi Yuqi advances to round of 16, Liang/Wang duo wins first match

    Shi Yuqi advances to round of 16, Liang/Wang duo wins first match

    The China Badminton Open kicked off on the 17th in Changzhou, Jiangsu. China’s men’s singles player Shi Yuqi successfully advanced to the Round of 16, while China’s top men’s doubles pair, the Liang/Wang duo, won 2-0 against the Popov brothers from France to move into the next round.

    After the Paris Olympics, Shi Yuqi currently ranked No. 1 in the men’s singles world rankings, showed some fluctuations in form. In the previous Japan and Korea Opens, he reached the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively. As the top seed in this event, much is expected of this Chinese men’s singles star.

    In the first round, Shi faced Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, a player he had met six times before. Shi easily won the first game 21-10. In the second game, Wangcharoen adapted to Shi’s shot variations and managed to level the score and even take the lead at times. However, Shi Yuqi’s composure in crucial moments secured a 21-19 victory, advancing him to the second round.

    In men’s doubles, the highly anticipated Chinese “Liang/Wang duo” of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang made their post-Olympic debut. Facing the Popov brothers from France in the first round, the duo saved two game points in the first set to win 22-20. In the second set, they found their rhythm in serves and returns, winning comfortably 21-16.

    Other Chinese players also had strong starts on the first day. Wang Zhiyi defeated Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt 2-0 to reach the Round of 16, while mixed doubles pair Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi and women’s doubles duo Li Wenmei/Zhang Shuxian also advanced after defeating their respective opponents.

    This China Open is the first BWF World Tour Super 1000 event since the Paris Olympics and has attracted over 200 top athletes from around the world. Some notable absences include China’s top women’s singles player, Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei, Paris Olympic mixed doubles champions Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, and Korea’s women’s singles champion from Paris, An Se Young.