Following the conclusion of the World Badminton Championships, the world rankings have seen notable changes.
According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released on August 25, An Se-young remains at the top of the women's singles category. Prior to the championships, on August 18, she held 117,787 points, leading Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, who had 104,576 points, and Wang Zhi of China, who had 102,689 points.
On August 23, An Se-young defeated Yamaguchi 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in the final of the 2026 BWF World Championships held in New Delhi, reclaiming the gold medal she last won three years ago. Remarkably, she won all six matches in the tournament, including the final, with a score of 2-0, marking a successful return from injury.
In women's doubles, there was a shift in rankings. Baek Hana and Lee So-hee, who were ranked third before the championships, moved up to second place. The top spot is held by Liu Shengsu and Tan Ning of China. Before the championships, Liu and Tan were first, followed by Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Matsumoto of Japan in second, and Baek and Lee in third.
The decisive moment for Baek and Lee came during the championships, where they defeated the then-world number one duo Liu and Tan 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) in the final. This victory marks the first time in 31 years that a South Korean women's doubles team has topped the world championships since Gil Young-a and Jang Hye-ok in 1995. The pair also ended a four-match losing streak against Liu and Tan.
In men's doubles, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae were unable to secure the championship title. The top-ranked duo lost in the semifinals to Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, finishing the tournament with a bronze medal. Prior to the championships, Kim and Seo held a significant lead in points, with 119,899, well ahead of the second-ranked team.
Another notable change occurred in men's singles, where Jonatan Christie ascended to the new world number one, with Christo Popov of France moving up to second. Zhou Tiancheng of Taiwan, who won a bronze medal at the championships, climbed from sixth to fourth place.
Meanwhile, the men's singles champion Alex Lanier of France rose to seventh in the world rankings after defeating Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) in the final, securing France's first gold medal in men's singles at the world championships. His performance propelled him three spots up the rankings.
According to BWF regulations, world rankings are determined based on results from recognized tournaments over the past 52 weeks. Players earn more ranking points by competing in higher-tier events and advancing to later rounds. Thus, winning the world championships can lead to a significant increase in points, but the overall ranking is influenced by accumulated results from previous tournaments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.