BWF Rankings-released on May 2, 2013

2013-05-03

The world’s top-ranked players remain unchanged in the latest BWF world rankings (men’s single: Lee Chong Wei, women’s singles: Li Xue Rui, men’s doubles: BOE/ MOGENSEN, women’s doubles: Yu Yang/ Wang Xiao Li, mixed doubles: Xu Chen/ Ma Jin.)

 
Ko Sung Hyun/Lee Yong Dae
Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae are ranked No. 2 in the world just six months after joining forces in the men’s doubles
 
The most important events of April were the Badminton Asia Championships and the Indian Open Super Series. Last year’s India Open was the last tournament to offer  qualifying points for the London Olympics so a lot depended on each game and every player tried their best to win, making every match a tense affair for spectators.
This year isn’t an Olympic year but the Indian Open matches were still hard fought and exciting! 
 
Badminton Asia Championships 2013 (4/16-4/21)
China’s five London Olympic gold medal winning pairs and singles players were all at the Badminton Asia Championships, adding talking points and becoming focal points to the event. However, these players all failed to match their Olympic success, making this year’s Badminton Asia Championships full of drama and providing spectators with a lot of excitement. 
 
Ko Sung Hyun/Kim Ha Na
Ko Sung Hyun/ Kim Ha Na defeated London gold medalists Zhang Nan/ Zhao Yun Lei in their first outing as a pair 
 
The final of the mixed doubles also surprised many. ROK pair Ko Sung Hyun/ Kim Ha Na were playing together in their first tournament but disposed of some top pairs on their way to the final, where they faced London gold medalists Zhang Nan/ Zhao Yun Lei. It was widely believed that, with the ROK pair still getting used to playing with each other, despite their undoubted ability they would be no match for the battle-hardened gold medal winning pair from China. However, the ROK surprised many when they took the title in straight games, 22-20,21-17. 
 
India Super series Open 2013 (4/23-4/28)
Quite a few players played well at the Indian Open but the most eye-catching of all was the ROK’s current team captain Ko Sung Hyun who had taken two titles just the week before at the Badminton Asia Championships. 
Before the tournament the opinion of many was that handsome, affable Ko, who always has a smile on his face, had a good chance of doing well, even of repeating his double success of the week before at the India Open.
 
Tontowi,Liliyan, Kim Ha Na, Ko Sung Hyun
The winners and runners-up in the mixed doubles at the India Open 2013;from the right Tontowi,Liliyan, Kim Ha Na, Ko Sung Hyun.
(Photo provided by the Indonesian Badminton Association.)
 
However, the world’s top mixed doubles pair, Indonesian lightning Tontowi/ Liliyana were ready for the challenge. In the final, Liliyana’s precision shots suppressed Ko’s impressive firepower and forced the ROK pair to hit the shuttlecock in the air, allowing Tontowi to attack mercilessly. In the end the Indonesians took the match in straight games to take the title.   
 
Next stop, world No. 1
Since becoming a men’s doubles pair in October last year, the ROK’s Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae have performed well in major international tournaments and so, of course, their world ranking has continued to climb. In April Ko/ Lee took the men’s doubles title at both the Badminton Asia Championships and the India Open, taking their ranking above that of Malaysia’s Koo Kean Keat/ Tan Boon Heong into second place, just a narrow margin of 500 points behind world No. 1 pair Mathias BOE/ Carsten MOGENSEN of Denmark. If the ROK pair can take the title at the next big international tournament they should rise up to No. 1 spot in the BWF rankings.
 
Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae
Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae:Just one step away from No. 1 in the BWF rankings 
 
 
BWF World Rankings to May 2 , 2013
Men's singles
Rank Country Player Points
1 LEE Chong Wei 93599.8476
2 CHEN Long 90300.3161
3 DU Pengyu 67696.3100
4 Sony Dwi KUNCORO 61230.0000
5 Kenichi TAGO 57799.9075
6 HU Yun 57380.0000
7 Jan O JORGENSEN 54497.4839
8 Boonsak PONSANA 54060.0000
9 WANG Zhengming 52650.0000
10 Tien Minh NGUYEN 51770.0000
 
 
Women's singles
Rank Country Player Points
1 LI Xuerui 81316.7153
2 Saina NEHWAL 78770.0000
3 WANG Yihan 75492.7491
4 Juliane SCHENK 73373.5663
5 Ratchanok INTANON 70044.7954
6 SUNG Ji Hyun 69371.3577
7 Tine BAUN 64069.4782
8 WANG Shixian 63312.1240
9 TAI Tzu Ying 55613.3262
10 Minatsu MITANI 53650.0000
 
 
Men's doubles
Rank Country Player Points
1
Mathias BOE
Carsten MOGENSEN
78783.6999
2 78252.9684
3
Kien Keat KOO
Boon Heong TAN
75553.4586
4
Hiroyuki ENDO
Kenichi HAYAKAWA
69353.0683
5
KIM Ki Jung
KIM Sa Rang
63990.0000
6
LIU Xiaolong
QIU Zihan
58670.0000
7
Thien How HOON
Wee Kiong TAN ~
53230.0000
8
HONG Wei
SHEN Ye
52336.0000
9
CAI Yun
FU Haifeng
50452.2445
10
Angga PRATAMA
Ryan Agung SAPUTRA
49040.0000
 
 
Women's doubles
Rank Country Player Points
1
WANG Xiaoli
YU Yang (F)
80635.8944
2
Misaki MATSUTOMO
Ayaka TAKAHASHI
65800.0000
3
Kamilla RYTTER JUHL
Christinna PEDERSEN
65016.3355
4
Shizuka MATSUO
Mami NAITO
62583.2250
5
EOM Hye Won
JANG Ye Na
57671.5667
6
MA Jin
TANG Jinhua
57070.0000
7
TIAN Qing
ZHAO Yunlei
55357.1916
8
Miyuki MAEDA
Satoko SUETSUNA
53790.0000
9
Duanganong AROONKESORN
Kunchala VORAVICHITCHAIKUL
53684.8389
10 48898.3130
 
 
Mixed doubles
Rank Country Player Points
1
XU Chen
MA Jin
89200.0000
2 81100.0000
3
ZHANG Nan
ZHAO Yunlei
75640.0000
4
Joachim FISCHER NIELSEN
Christinna PEDERSEN
74609.0000
5
Peng Soon CHAN
Liu Ying GOH
69670.0000
6
Sudket PRAPAKAMOL
Saralee THOUNGTHONGKAM
64630.0000
7
Robert MATEUSIAK
Nadiezda ZIEBA *
54310.0000
8
Muhammad RIJAL
Debby SUSANTO
54070.0000
9
Fran KURNIAWAN
Shendy Puspa IRAWATI
51140.0000
10
Markis KIDO
Pia Zebadiah BERNADETH
50550.0000

( Edit by VICTOR Badminton )