All posts tagged: badmintons

Why Turkey are turning heads in badminton’s Uber Cup; wins over Miyazaki, Wong

Why Turkey are turning heads in badminton’s Uber Cup; wins over Miyazaki, Wong

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Apr 26, 2026 09:29 PM IST It was bound to have been a miscalculation or underestimating at any rate, by Japan. But resting Akane Yamaguchi, Japan fielded their teen prodigy and Top 10 Tomoka Miyazaki as first singles in the Uber Cup against Turkey. Miyazaki was humbled 21-16, 18-21, 19-21 by Neslihan Arin in 82 long minutes. The dangerous Arin had broken away at 9-9 in the second set to claim the second. But it was from 16-18 down in the third that the Turkish shuttler went on to pound with power and snatch the opening rubber from Japan. Though Japan are far too strong albeit young in doubles, and should seal the tie, this Uber Cup has thrown up Turkey as a surprise. Arin is 32 years old, and ranked 30 in the world as against Miyazaki, ranked 9. Arin has once won badminton gold at Islamic Solidarity Games, and thrice at Mediterranean Games. She also has bronze at European Games, often facing Carolina Marin at the medal stage. On Saturday, …

Quick Comment: Badminton’s disregard for tradition continues, new 15-point game scoring system is more confusion than reform | Badminton News

Quick Comment: Badminton’s disregard for tradition continues, new 15-point game scoring system is more confusion than reform | Badminton News

Published by Webster

4 min readUpdated: Apr 25, 2026 10:05 PM IST Badminton continues to be callous with tradition, and keeps changing its scoring system – the 15×3 is the fourth such flip in the last 50 years. Some might say it’s far too much a stickler for tradition – 15×3 was used at its inception in 1873. On Saturday, the format was voted back overwhelmingly by a margin of 198-43, keeping in mind broadcast considerations and players’ health. The 21×3 will go out screaming and shouting, albeit after having prevailed through the golden generation of women’s singles, GOATs in men’s singles and the era of immense popularity for men’s doubles. 21×3 will also plead innocent to charges of causing injury an misery to shuttlers, and point the finger at badminton’s hectic schedule of mandatory tournaments for top players. At any rate, this itch to keep changing a scoring format is a sign of confusion, more than any evolved, coherent thinking. Because its many iterations have not brought out any significant changes to popularity, prize money or professionalism …

Why badminton’s 15X3 scoring system draws ire: ‘Tennis, football don’t try these stunts’ | Badminton News

Why badminton’s 15X3 scoring system draws ire: ‘Tennis, football don’t try these stunts’ | Badminton News

Published by Webster

In a letter sent to the Badminton World Federation, Indian coach and former Olympian and Top 20, Vimal Kumar had pleaded with the world body to reconsider its push for the 15X3 scoring system that could come into action from January 2027. Writing to BWF president, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, the coach had echoed sentiments of several players and coaches around the world, asking for the core ethos of the game to be maintained, while offering other suggestions. “None of the other major sports like tennis, football keep fiddling with their scoring format or match duration like this,” he told the Indian Express. “Next will be plastic shuttles,” he sighed. Here is the letter written by Vimal to BWF: ” I am a former international player from India, an Olympian (1992), former world top-20 player, and currently deeply involved in high-performance coaching and athlete development. My views are based on decades of direct experience as a player, coach, and administrator. — ## Key Position While I fully support BWF’s long-term vision for the sport, I strongly …

India’s Stupa takes on Hawk-Eye, bringing affordable precision to badminton’s line calls

India’s Stupa takes on Hawk-Eye, bringing affordable precision to badminton’s line calls

Published by Webster

5 min readMar 29, 2026 08:49 AM IST There are more earthy orbits than the famous ones that went around Mars, where cost-effective Indian technology is shining – like the flight trajectory of a badminton shuttle, dropping around the lines. Machine Learning engineers from India have received the go-ahead from Badminton World Federation to deploy the indigenously developed Stupa Instant Review System (IRS), as it lines up in the line review space, alongside giant Hawkeye, at global events. The five-year-old company based out of Delhi’s IT hub successfully built a system capable of making line decisions in under 20 to 30 seconds with over 99% accuracy – a primary BWF certification requirement. Stupa, led by one of India’s top female innovation brains, Megha Gambhir, delivered decisions in roughly 12 to 22 seconds. “We are actively working to crunch that down to under 10 seconds,” she says, proud of going toe-to-toe with Hawkeye, and even exceeding the legendary sports tech with a more economical, cost-efficient, accurate, and lightweight solution. Badminton, which is set to expand its …

2025: Her Year – Unnati, Tanvi may not have natural gifts of PV Sindhu, but are silently plotting their journeys in badminton’s upper echelons | Badminton News

2025: Her Year – Unnati, Tanvi may not have natural gifts of PV Sindhu, but are silently plotting their journeys in badminton’s upper echelons | Badminton News

Published by Webster

Sree Charani’s ice-cool control. Sheetal Devi’s relentless grit. Chess queen Divya Deshmukh unleashing gambits. In 2025, India’s young sportswomen didn’t just compete — they conquered. From Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma ushering in a new era in badminton to the rise of another ‘Phogat’ — Suruchi — this time on the shooting range, Ankita Bhagat rattling South Korea’s archery dynasty, Preeti Panwar’s clinical power in the ring, or Antim Panghal reminding she still owns the mat. Express Sports dives deep into ‘Gen She’ – the trailblazers who kept the Tricolour flying high. When Unnati Hooda defeated PV Sindhu at the China Open in June and later moved to World No 23 in the December 15 rankings, it wasn’t merely a career milestone for the 18-year-old. There have been a bunch of India No 2s behind the world-beating Sindhu in rankings. Saina Nehwal, Ashmita Chaliha and most recently Malvika Bansod. But even as 5 ranking spots separate Unnati from Sindhu, and it might well take a few months for Unnati to edge ahead of the veteran, …

Meet Tanisha Crasto, Indian badminton’s hellraiser | Badminton News

Meet Tanisha Crasto, Indian badminton’s hellraiser | Badminton News

Published by Webster

Tanisha Crasto doesn’t have the polished technique, prim tactics or pitch perfect temperament of the world’s best mixed doubles shuttlers of the world – the Chinese, Koreans or Japanese. India’s most improved female badminton player of the last 12 months, can be tempestuous, error-prone and heedless to hurting herself when she dives around on a non-stop cavalier mode for caution. Her critics frown when she screams on sound sanitised badminton courts, and they cluck tongues when she messes at the net – both, often. But you can’t put Tanisha in a corner. She is an unapologetic hellraiser – a maverick who would seek out barrels if she was a surfer, and barnstorm if she was a pilot. “I didn’t play it safe. I went all in,” she says, describing a recent match at the Sudirman Cup against Indonesia – India’s only win in the tie, alongside equally hot-headed Dhruv Kapila. “With Shruti (Mishra) against Denmark,” she jogs back to an earlier tie, again the only win for India in women’s doubles, “my whole perspective was …

China’s “AI-powered” team slogan at badminton’s Sudirman Cup as the juggernaut seeks to roll on

China’s “AI-powered” team slogan at badminton’s Sudirman Cup as the juggernaut seeks to roll on

Published by Webster

China have won the Sudirman Cup 13 times, a staggering mark given only 3 countries have ever won the mixed team world title. But hosting this summer’s edition at Xiamen, the formidable home team backed by a wall of raucous support, are particularly upbeat about gunning for the 14th. In a winking, quippy statement to CGTN, China’s women’s doubles legend Jia Yifan said, “Our pre-match team slogan was AI-powered. I asked Zheng Yu for help, and she suggested I use #DeepSeek. The gesture was finalized after brainstorming with Shi Yuqi.” The precise words are yet unknown to the rest of the world, and Jia was uproarious talking about their gee-talk, but the team is building nice little intrigue around the buildup slogan. Malaysia, led by Danish head coach Kennth Larsen, too have debuted a new team huddle coordinated move. But the Chinese, with a mix of first timers and serious old timers have been flaring their palms to show ‘5’ sign, with Shi Yuqi, Chen Yufei, Chen Qingchen, Jia Yifan and Huang Dongping all at …

Lee Yong-dae: Badminton’s K-Drama icon who ruled the world turns master coach with effortless grace | Badminton News

Lee Yong-dae: Badminton’s K-Drama icon who ruled the world turns master coach with effortless grace | Badminton News

Published by Webster

The runway looks. Sharp suits, laser-lawn-mowed cheekbones, million dollar smile, perfect mop of hair. And a game to die for, but wake up immediately from and swoon and die again. Lee Yong-dae, now 36, was the K-Pop and K-drama superstar aesthetic rolled into one, well before Korean mass-scale entertainment blazed through all of East Asia, and then the rest of the world. The LYD mania of 2008-2018 is vaguely imaginable now that BTS and Pinnochio/Crash Landing on You can stream easily on mobiles, and we have a measure of how hysterical K-popularity can get. But Yong-dae just played badminton. Though he played it damn well – the Maldini defense of shuttle you would pay to watch. The Euro step of Manu Ginobili at a badminton net that you would hold your breath for. His looks obviously got the squeals, but the doubles game was so refined and intricate, a faceless blur of a silhouette, would’ve told you it was the 2008 mixed doubles Olympic champion and 2012 men’s bronze medallist on court. And then he …

21×3 vs 15×3: Badminton’s needless itch to tinker with scoring system | Badminton News

21×3 vs 15×3: Badminton’s needless itch to tinker with scoring system | Badminton News

Published by Webster

Badminton’s latest bee in the bonnet, is a scoring system that needs no tinkering. But it is almost expected that those who govern the sport will get the score-changing itch every few months, and the experimentation will get carried out in a bewildered tournament, with no perceivable change to either footfall or TV broadcast enthusiasm. There’s a litany of problems confronting the sport, not racquet’s most popular – that’s tennis by a mile. But the 21 points over 3 sets, was one of the least bothersome things in that headache-inducing mix of troubles. Higher prize money, better scheduling with rest days, expansion beyond Asia and Denmark, protecting players from internet trolls, better broadcast packaging all need actionable responses. The 21×3 was coasting along just fine. Story continues below this ad At best, older shuttlers might reckon they can prolong their careers if matches snap shut quicker. But at worst, the game becomes a lottery – a drawn out penalty shootout, with no real build-up, or core, or a smooth flow and anticipation of a crescendo …

Badminton’s survival-mode sitting duck spritz returns | Badminton News

Badminton’s survival-mode sitting duck spritz returns | Badminton News

Published by Webster

For want of formal anointing, let’s call the shot, or flurry of shots, badminton’s ‘sitting duck spritz’. It is highly unlikely that coaches train shuttlers in simulations of these ridiculously stunning reflex shots. But 2024 was replete with doubles badminton primarily, witnessing gobsmacking moments of the ‘sitting duck spritz.’ No Indians in Top 10s of a BWF year-end selection for ‘Best Saves’. But you can be pretty sure a Lakshya Sen or Tanisha Crasto or Gayatri Gopichand & Treesa Jolly might’ve had their moments fending off in fast-paced rallies with this totally unrehearsible shot. So here’s what happens. Sitting ducks are supposed to be vulnerable, defenseless languishers, with no hopes really of escaping the torrent of attacks unleashed on them from a relative vantage. The term owes its origins to hunters targeting stationary ducks, who were chilling and swimming calmly in their ponds, minding their own business. Later, WW2 obviously saw a tragedy to match the game-hunter’s hobby: sitting ducks was used for ground targets that cowered but had no cover from aerial enemy fire. …