India's Saina Nehwal scaled a new high when she shot up three places to World. No 2 in the latest rankings released by the Badminton World Federation Thursday (July 15). Saina had earlier won back-to-back titles, India Open Grand Prix and the Singapore Open Super Series in the last month, and marched ahead of three Chinese players in the women's singles charts for her career-best ranking. The badminton ace has now won four titles in 2010. Saina's previous best was the third position she attained last week. Confident as ever, Saina Nehwal is looking to do the country proud in the World...

Defending champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei was stretched to the limit by veteran Wong Choong Hann before retaining his Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold men's singles title in an all-Malaysian affair at the Johor Baharu Indoor Stadium here Sunday. Chong Wei, fresh from winning the Indonesian Open, had to go the extra mile before overcoming the seasoned veteran 21-8, 14-21, 21-15 in three sets. Choong Hann who had defeated former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat in the semi final yesterday, was run over by Chong Wei in the first game but pulled up his socks in the second game to show tha...

Lee Chong Wei, the world No 1, got back to winning ways on Sunday when the Malaysian made up for a disappointing week in Singapore to lift yet another Super Series title at the Indonesian Badminton Open. Chong Wei crushed Taufik Hidayat, playing in front of his home fans, in straight sets 21-19, 21-8 in a match lasting a mere 37 minutes. The Malaysian's win was a stunning reposte after failing to reproduce his 2010 form in Singapore last week where he was beaten in the last eight. In Jakarta he dropped only one set to Kenichi Tago, the All England Badminton Open finalist. Chong Wei ...

Three Sundays, three titles. Saina Nehwal has turned June 2010 into a historic month for Indian badminton with three titles in three successive weeks to rekindle memories of February-March 1980.Prakash Padukone had then won the Swedish, Danish and All England titles to become world No 1.After her India Open GP Gold and Singapore Open Super Series titles over the last two weeks, the hat-trick was achieved with a 21-19 13-21 21-11 victory over Japan’s Sayaka Sato in the Indonesia Open Super Series final on Sunday.After a smooth first game, when the top seeded Indian looked on course, Sa...

JAKARTA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Entering the second day of the conduction of annual international badminton championship Indonesia Open, more Indonesian supporters were catering the tournament venue to give supports to national players in their struggle to seize the prestigious championship of the tournament sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). Bringing the sick balloons clapped every time Indonesian players scored, those supporters cheered up the games held in badminton stadium located in Indonesia's landmark sport compound of Senayan in the capital city.With many of Indonesian pl...

SINGAPORE - Change is in the air, with signs pointing to a revolution in women's badminton. Heading that revolution are the South Korean women's team, who upset the Chinese giants 3-1 in the Uber Cup finals for the first time in 12 years to lift the coveted trophy in Kuala Lumpur last month. India's top female player Saina Nehwal, who won the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) Junior Championship in 2008, is another who has savoured the feeling. The 20-year-old defeated China's Wang Lin (world No 4) at last year's Indonesia Open Super Series to clinch her first major senior title, and is...

KUALA LUMPUR — A rampant China underlined their dominance of world badminton Sunday by pounding Indonesia 3-0 to emphatically win a fourth consecutive Thomas Cup title. The victory cemented China's reputation as a leviathan in the sport after their women were shocked by an unfancied South Korea on Saturday, and boosted morale in the camp ahead of the Asian Games in November. "It was absolutely perfect -- everyone in the team played their best," said coach Li Yongbo. "This was the first outing for the team since the Beijing Olympics so there were some changes in the ta...

Indonesia’s squad for the Thomas Cup men’s badminton championship, that faces China on Sunday’s final, has taken inspiration from South Korea’s shock defeat of China in the final of the women’s Uber Cup on Saturday. China has claimed the biennial Thomas Cup consecutively since 2004, but China’s women, who lost 3-1 to South Korea on Saturday’s final, had held the Uber cup since 1998. But South Korea defied all of the odds by beating China 3-1 in the final to win the trophy for the first time. Indonesian Thomas Cup squad manager Yacob Rusdianto sai...

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 (Bernama) -- While accepting defeat to South Korea, China's Uber team coach Li Yongbo however, promised that the Great Wall's team will return stronger, especially for the World Championship tournament in August, and the Asian Games in November. Although he was a bit disappointed over the loss of the Cup after capturing it 11 times, he did not blame his charges. "They performed well, but not at their best. But it's good when they lost so we'll mend our weaknesses," he told reporters here Saturday. China lost 1-3 to South Korea in the Uber Cup Finals at Putr...

South Korea's Kyung Won Lee/Jung Eun Ha compete during the women's doubles match against China's Yu Yang/Du Jing in the finals of the Uber Cup badminton championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 15, 2010. South Korea won 3-1 and claimed the title. (Xinhua/Song Zhenping) South Korean women shuttlers clinched their first ever Uber Cup team title Saturday by dethroning reigning champion China 3-1 in a supreme final. It was the first time that South Korea won in their six clashes with China in the finals of the women's badminton team championships. "This is a historic day for Kore...