All posts tagged: Badminton world rankings

Lakshya Sen returns to top 10 in BWF rankings after 440 days

Lakshya Sen returns to top 10 in BWF rankings after 440 days

Published by Webster

Lakshya Sen has returned to the top 10 of the Badminton World Federation men’s singles rankings, marking a major milestone in the Indian shuttler’s comeback journey after a prolonged period affected by injuries and setbacks. The 24-year-old climbed back to World No. 10 for the first time since March last year, completing a resurgence that has taken more than 440 days. The achievement comes after a challenging phase in which Lakshya dealt with injuries, rehabilitation and inconsistent form while attempting to regain his place among the world’s elite. Despite the difficult period, Lakshya continued to produce notable performances on the international stage. Over the course of his career, he has won titles such as the Canada Open, secured a silver medal at the prestigious All England Open and played a key role in India’s Thomas Cup campaigns. The Indian shuttler also represented the country in the bronze medal-winning team at the Thomas Cup 2026, further underlining his importance to Indian badminton. Strong performances fuel rankings rise Lakshya has shown encouraging form throughout the 2026 season …

Unnati Hooda reflects on her rise into the world’s top 20

Unnati Hooda reflects on her rise into the world’s top 20

Published by Webster

If badminton had not worked out for Unnati Hooda, she already seems to have had another dream in mind. “Maybe a novel writer or something like that,” the 18-year-old smiled during a rapid-fire segment with The Bridge. It was an unexpectedly soft, thoughtful answer from one of India’s brightest young badminton stars, a player who, at the moment, is writing a rather remarkable sporting story of her own. Hooda recently climbed to World No. 19 in the BWF rankings, becoming only the third Indian women’s singles player after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu to break into the top-20. But despite the milestone, there was no dramatic celebration or loud proclamation from the teenager. Instead, Hooda described the moment with the same calmness and sincerity that defined her entire conversation. “I am really feeling good that I was able to break top-20 for the first time,” she said. “Now I’m looking forward to how I can maintain my rankings and be consistent.” The word, consistency, came up repeatedly through the interaction. For Hooda, the breakthrough ranking …

India may be struggling in badminton singles, but there’s strength and depth in doubles at last | Badminton News

India may be struggling in badminton singles, but there’s strength and depth in doubles at last | Badminton News

Published by Webster

The criticism that India concentrated all its efforts on badminton singles players had some merit 15 years ago. But there was no option. For the sport to take off like it did and the trickle-down to even begin, Saina Nehwal needed to succeed at the top level. So, all attention was geared towards the singles flock courting success. The cribbing over doubles being ignored was justified – no country can even begin to whisper ‘powerhouse’ if three out of five categories remain unattended, and team events like Thomas & Uber Cup and Sudirman and Asian Mixed team events draw blanks. But pathways and executing plans in propping up doubles never really happened. Perhaps it is from these bombardings of constant criticisms from 2006-2014 that Pullela Gopichand’s brain crystallised the resolve to make doubles work. The talk was then walked. This week in a bittersweet happenstance, India’s three doubles pairings – in women’s doubles (Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, World No.10), men’s doubles (Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, World No.11) and mixed doubles (Tanisha Crasto and …

‘Still have lot of badminton left in me’: Viktor Axelsen says he will be out of action for a while due to surgery for back issues | Badminton News

‘Still have lot of badminton left in me’: Viktor Axelsen says he will be out of action for a while due to surgery for back issues | Badminton News

Published by Webster

Danish superstar shuttler Viktor Axelsen confirmed on Saturday that he is set for a spell on the sidelines from badminton action as he has decided to undergo surgery for his persistent back trouble. The two-time Olympic champion, however, confirmed that he still intended to make a comeback to action. “After consulting with my medical team, I have decided to undergo endoscopic treatment for my back issues next week,” Axelsen posted on social media. “While this means I will need some weeks for rehab post-surgery, I am confident that I will come back stronger. I still feel like I have a lot of badminton in me, and I’m fully committed to doing everything necessary to return to the court at my best.” After losing in the first round at the prestigious All England Open in Birmingham this month against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun Yi, Axelsen had said that he had been dealing with severe back/nerve pain for several months now, and that there were just too many days where my body doesn’t allow me to move …