BWF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022
WORLD CLASS PLAYERS AIM FOR THE TOP!
This year the World Championships will be held here in Tokyo, Japan for the first time ever, and top athletes from around the world are getting ready to gather for the exciting event. In Men’s Singles, with many aggressive players rising to compete each year, world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen (DEN) fighting strong since last summer, will be attracting the most attention. Will Japanese star, Kento Momota(JPN) be able to launch his counterattack in response to the cheers of the people of his nation?
Women’s Singles includes Akane Yamaguchi (JPN), reaching for her consecutive victory this year, and Nozomi Okuhara(JPN) fighting to reclaim the title after 5 years. Coming against the Japan team are world renowned athletes, Chen Yu Fei (CHN), Tai Tzu Ying (TPE), and Carolina Marin (ESP). An Se Young (KOR) and other younger generation athletes also have high chances of going home with the trophy.
Men’s Doubles pair Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (JPN) and Women’s Doubles pair Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama (JPN) are both next generation athletes from Japan facing the international stage. The top-level Japanese Women’s Doubles pair are ready to match their Chinese and Korean rivals in hopes for the medal.
Don’t miss the Hoki/Kobayashi pair as they aim for their consecutive victory against world No.1, Marcus F. Gideon/Kevin S. Sukamuljo (INA) and Olympic gold medalists Wang Chi-Lin and Lee Yang (TPE). Mixed Doubles pair Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino (JPN) will be reaching for their first crown in the World Championships. However, two powerful pairs from China stand before the Japanese pair, Huang Ya Qiong and Zheng Siwei and Huang Dong Ping and Wang Yi Liyu, as well as Thailand pair Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Dechapol Puavaranukroh.
Men’s Singles
Men’s Singles/World Rank No.1
Viktor Axelsen
[DEN]
Solid smashes come pounding down from his impressive height, and strategically placed shots at the net overcome opponents. Viktor’s recent mental growth only brings further stability into his game. The ‘king of badminton’ has not lost momentum since his grandiose victory in the championships last summer, but only further proved why he is No. 1.
Men’s Singles/World Rank No.2
Kento Momota
[JPN]
His highly accurate lobs and precise hairpin shots create his renowned defense force. Unapologetically refusing to give initiative to his opponents, he leads the game into his own pace and nails each shot. He claimed a total of 11 titles across numerous global tournaments in 2019, his largest number ever. This World Championships will be his next fight to reclaim gold.
Women’s Singles
Women’s Singles/World Rank No.1
Akane Yamaguchi
[JPN]
Her exquisite trick shots come from her creative ideas and skilled racket moves, tossing and confusing her opponents giving way to her victory. Also, artfully beautiful are her jump smashes. Always at the frontline of every age group since elementary, Yamaguchi is aiming for her second World Championships title.
Women’s Singles/World Rank No.3
An Se Young
[KOR]
Dodging the opponents’ attack with her quick response and extreme intensity, she sets up the game and nails points with her aggressive athletic attitude. As a young Korean star player, she won the crown for Korea at the Uber Cup, a women’s international championship tournament held in May this year, for the first time in 12 years.
Men’s Doubles
Men’s Doubles/World Rank No.1
Marcus F. Gideon and Kevin S. Sukamuljo
[INA]
The ultimate world-class pair, with Sukamuljo’s exquisite racket work and creative imagination trifling with the opponent, and Gideon’s sharp and precise smashes aggressively nail each the game. These skills combined with Laser focus and concentration makes them absolutely invincible wherever they go.
Men’s Doubles/World Rank No.2
Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi
[JPN]
Kobayashi’s powerful left-handed smash combined with Hoki’s clever shot placement makes them a fiercely unstoppable pair. Winning the silver medal in the 2019 World Championships and the gold in 2021, they became the leading men’s doubles pair in Japan. Will they be able to return with a consecutive victory this year?
Women's Doubles
Women’s Doubles/World Rank No.1
Jia Yi Fan and Chen Qing Chen
[CHN]
Chen Qing Chen controls the game with her continuous stamina, while Jia Yi Fan attacks aggressively with her powerful left-handed smashes. The world No. 1 pair won the World Championships in 2021 and are determined to retain the title in 2022.
Women’s Doubles/World Rank No.5
Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida
[JPN]
The pair’s powerful force is rooted in agile moves and speedy attacks, branching from their fluid teamwork. When Shida hits her sharp smashes, front player Matsuyama quickly picks up the return shuttle and nails the point. After rising to the forefronts of the international tournament stages in 2021, they claimed gold at the All England Open in 2022 and continue to gain momentum.
Mixed Doubles
Mixed Doubles/World Rank No.2
Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai
[THA]
In the back, Dechapol runs freely across the court and builds the rally, while front player Sapsiree nails the net shots with quick and precise moves. The pair have an excellent stamina that pushes them forward match after match. They currently rank No.2 in the world.
Mixed Doubles/World Rank No.3
Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino
[JPN]
Chen Qing Chen controls the game with her continuous stamina, while Jia Yi Fan attacks aggressively with her powerful left-handed smashes. The world No. 1 pair won the World Championships in 2021 and are determined to retain the title in 2022.
2021 World Championships Spain
December 12 – 19, 2021
2021 World Championships: A Fight for Dominance
Reigning Queen of Badminton
Women’s Singles Champion
Akane Yamaguchi
Beginning of a Victorious Siege
Women’s Doubles Champion
Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan
New Stars of Japan
Men’s Doubles Champion
Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi
World No.1 Living Up to the Title
Mixed Doubles Champion
Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai
Akane Yamaguchi, Takuro Hoki & Yugo Kobayashi conquered the world.
World Championships – the tournament determining the year’s top of the world, was held in Huelva, Spain in December 2021.
Having suffered on the big stage that summer, Team Japan swept away their regret by showing a victorious come-back.
Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) defeated then World Rank No.1 Tai Tze Ying (TPE) in the Women’s Singles finals, becoming the second Women’s Singles champion since Nozomi Okuhara in 2017. “I was so relieved to be able to finish 2021 with a win in the last tournament of the year,” Yamaguchi said with a smile.
In Men’s Doubles, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi(JPN) became the first Japanese men’s doubles team to ever claim gold. Hoki and Kobayashi also conquered the World Tour Finals prior to the World Championships, achieving a total of two big titles.
This brought forth a huge new wave for the Men’s Doubles group after undergoing a major generational change.
In Women’s Doubles, Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan (CHN) defeated 2018-19 World Champions Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara in the semi-finals, claiming victory and paving way for their future success. Arisa Higashino and Yuta Watanabe stood against World Rank No.1 Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Dechapol Puavaranukroh (THA) in the Mixed Doubles finals, with the Thai pair claiming gold. This was Higashino and Watanabe’s second medal since their bronze in 2019. The Japanese pair stated they are looking to claim “gold, next time” at the 2022 Tokyo World Championships.