MEN'S SINGLES

#1 - LEE Chong Wei - Malaysia

Datuk Lee Chong Wei is ranked number one in the world for the men’s singles. Lee won the silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games, thus becoming the first Malaysian to reach the final of the men's singles event and ending Malaysia's Olympic medal drought since the 1996 Games. This achievement also earned him the title Datuk, and a description by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as a national hero. Lee is one of the most accomplished Malaysian badminton players having won two All-England championships.

#2 – Lin Dan - China

Lin Dan is ranked number two in the world for men’s singles badminton from China. He is a four time world champion and the reigning Olympic champion. By the age of 27, Lin completed the "Super Grand Slam", having won all major titles in world badminton: Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, All England Open, Asian Games, and Asia Championships, becoming the first and only player to achieve this feat. He has been nicknamed "Super Dan" by his fans.

#3 – Chen Long – China

Chen Long is ranked number three in the world for men’s singles badminton from China. Chen won gold in the 2010 Thomas & Uber Cup in Kuala Lumpur, being the most important and most prestigious badminton tournaments in men's and women's team competition followed by a team gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. In 2011 Chen won gold at the 2011 Sudirman Cup in Qingdao.

#4 - Peter Hoeg GADE – Denmark

Peter Gade made his mark in badminton history through his All England Open Badminton Championships singles title in 1999 and his four European Championships crowns in the men's singles event. The Dane topped the world rankings from 1998 to 2001. With his 16 Grand-Prix titles, he has become one of the most successful players of all time. Into his 30s, Gade remains very active on the international circuit. On June 22, 2006, he briefly recaptured the number one spot in the world rankings. This was achieved after winning the Singapore Open and reaching the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Open.

#5 - CHEN Jin – China

In 2010 Chen Jin was crowned the World Champion after beating Peter Gade in the finals of the World Championship. He was the winner of the 2011 Singapore Open Super Series, runner up at the 2011 China Master Super Series. He was also the runner up at the 2011 German Open Grand Prix Gold.

#6 - Taufik HIDAYAT – Indonesia

Taufik Hidayat is a former World and Olympic champion in men's singles. He has also won the Indonesian Open six times (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006). When he was young, he joined the SGS Club, a badminton club in Bandung, where he trained under Iie Sumirat. Hidayat won the men's singles competition in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In August 2005, he won the men's singles competition at the BWF World Championships. He also won the gold medal at the Asian Games twice, at Busan in 2002 and Doha in 2006. His top results for 2011 include being crowned runner up at the Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open Super Series as well as the Proton Malaysia Open Series.

#7 - Tien Minh NGUYEN – Vietnam

Currently ranked 7th in the world, Tien Minh Nguyen is portrayed as “the athlete with a Herculean progress” in his home country. Despite his achievements, Tien Minh Nguyen has been trained in an environment with only basic equipment and has to rely mostly on his family's financial support, the cherished effort and the quiet contribution. Tien Minh Nguyen still goes on inspiring generations of badminton lovers around the globe with his on court determination. His major achievements include winning the 2010 Yonex Australian Open Grand Prix, winning the Vietnam Open Grand Prix and winning the 2009 Yonex Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold.

#8 - Sho SASAKI – Japan

Japanese Sho Sasaki is the defending Men’s Singles champion for the Yonex Australian Open. He took gold at the 2011 Yonex Australian Open Grand Prix Gold. He was also the winner of the 2011 US Open Grand Prix Gold. Sho was the runner up of the 2011 Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open Grand Prix and was a semi finalist at the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier.

#9 - DU Pengyu – China

Ranked 9th in the world, Du Pengyu of China’s accomplishments include being a semi finalist at the 2011 Badminton Asia Championships. He also made it to the semi final of the 2011 Korea Open Super Series Premier. He was a quarter finalist at the 2011 BWF Super Series Finals as well as the 2011 Indonesia Open Super Series Premier.

#10 - Boonsak PONSANA Thailand

Boonsak finished 4th at the 2004 Olympics, meaning that we had 3 of the top 4 places from Athens Olympic Games competing at the 2011 Yonex Australian Open. He continually places in every major tournament he enters and produces solid results, but often falls just short of the mark favouring 3rd place. Boonsak does hold wins over all of the top players including Taufik, Nguyen and Sony. He has been a solid top 10 player now for many years and will be looking to finally get a win at the 2012 Yonex Australian Open.

WOMEN'S SINGLES

#1 - WANG Yihan - China

 

Wang Yihan is ranked number one in the world for the women’s singles. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was selected for the junior team in 2004, and after being promoted to the senior team in 2006 she began to shine in major tournaments. By October 2009 she was the top ranked Women's singles player in the world. She is currently coached by Zhang Ning, twice Olympic gold medallist.

#2 - WANG Shixian - China

Wang Shixian is ranked number two in the world for the women’s singles. Wang won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou as well as bronze in the BWF World Championships held in Paris. In 2011 Wang won the first two titles competed in the year which is the Super Series Finals and the Malaysia Open Super Series and also won at the All England Championships.

#3 - WANG Xin – China

Wang Xin of China was the winner of the 2011 Denmark Open Super Series Premier. She also took home gold at the 2011 Yonex Sunrise Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold tournament. She won the 2011 Singapore Open Super Series and was a semi finalist at the 2011 Yonex BWF World Championships.

#4 - Saina NEHWAL – India

Saina Nehwal is the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics and the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships. Saina Nehwal made history on June 21, 2009, becoming the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament, by clinching the Indonesia Open with a stunning victory over higher-ranked Chinese Wang Lin in Jakarta.Saina won her second career Super Series title by winning the Singapore Open title on June 20, 2010. She completed a hat-trick in the same year by winning the Indonesian Open on June 27, 2010. This win resulted in her rise to 3rd ranking and subsequently to No. 2. Later in the same year she also won Hong Kong Super Series on December 12, 2010.

#5 - JIANG Yanjiao - China

A winner of both the BWF World Junior Championships (2002) and the Asian Junior Championships (2004), Jiang has since emerged as one of the world's leading women's singles players. She won the Chinese national title in 2005, the Denmark Open in 2006, the Asian Championships in both 2007 and 2008, and the China Open in 2008. Jiang played singles for China's winning Uber Cup (women's international) teams of 2006 and 2008. As one of several Chinese women's singles players who rate among the world's best, Jiang has been excluded from some international competitions which set a maximum number of participants from any one country. For example, at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing neither Jiang nor reigning world champion Zhu Lin was entered in a women's singles event which limited the strongest badminton nations to three competitors.

#6 - Juliane SCHENK – Germany

In 2001 Juliane won the European Junior Championships in women's singles. 2003 saw her win the women doubles with Nicole Grether in two tournaments; the Irish International and the Bitburg Open. Schenk played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics, losing in women's singles to Tracey Hallam of Great Britain in the round of 32. Schenk won the bronze medal at the 2008 European Badminton Championships. In 2008 Schenk competed in the Beijing Olympics. She narrowly lost her first round match against Indonesian Maria Kristin Yulianti who later succeeded to win the bronze medal.

#7 - LIU Xin (F) – China

CChinese Liu Xin was the winner of the 2011 Yonex Australian Open Grand Prix Gold as well as the 2011 Yonex German Open Grand Prix Gold. She also took the gold medal at the 2011 Korea Open Grand Prix and was a semi finalist at the 2011 Yonex Japan Open Super Series. Xin is the defending Women’s Singles champion for our Yonex Australian Open.

#8 - Tine BAUN – Denmark

Most notably, Tine Baun has won the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships women's singles title twice, in 2008 and 2010. As for Baun's record in the BWF Super Series, she won the 2007 Japan Open beating all Chinese born-players from the 1st match and also the 1st seeded, Zhang Ning of China in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Malaysia Open. She also won the 2008 All England Super Series title, beating the 3rd seeded, Lu Lan of China and the 2008 Singapore Super Series, beating Zhou Mi of Hong Kong in the final. Baun also won the silver medal at the 2008 European Badminton Championships.

#9 - CHENG Shao Chieh - Chinese Taipei

Cheng Shao Chieh won the title at the 2011 Yonex Canada Open Grand Prix. Her other recent achievements include runner up at the 2011 Yonex BWF World Championships. Chieh was a semi finalist at the 2011 Indonesia Open Super Series Premier as well as the 2011 SGC Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold.

#10 - BAE Youn Joo - Korea

Bae first gained international attention in 2006 when she reached the semi-finals in the women's singles and won the gold medal as a member of the South Korean mixed team at the BWF World Junior Championships. Bae joined the South Korea national team in 2007 and won her first national title in 2009. She was also a member of the Korean Uber Cup team that upset mighty China in the finals of the 2010 Uber cup finals in Malaysia.