Featured

TAI Tzu Ying: The End of a Beautiful Chapter.

As Tai Tzu Yingโ€™s official retirement settles in our hearts, let us pause to celebrate a player who transcends badminton itself โ€” an artist who rewrites the boundaries of skill.

7th Sep, 2023. Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei hits a return. Credit: Yang Lei/Xinhua/Alamy Live News

She is the enemy of boredom, the one whose fearless creativity elevates her matches to pure theatre. No one can copy the range of shots at her disposal; her technical brilliance is unrivalled. But what truly sets her apart from her peers? She is the Queen of Deception โ€” a thief of time. By shaving away split seconds of anticipation, she bends rallies to her will, turning the court into her stage.

Tai Tzu Yingโ€™s fellow womenโ€™s singles players are all part of the spectacle; this has been a golden age in which each dares the other to reach new heights of skill and resilience. Against players like Ratchanok, the contest becomes a duel of โ€œanything you can do, I can do better.โ€ Percentage play is ignored as they revel in the joy of their imagination. TTYโ€™s results are never a foregone conclusion. Her concentration often drifts mid-contest, allowing opponents to stay with her, poised to deliver a coup de grรขce in the final, breathless points.

Her spontaneous genius is the purest expression of the game at its finest. She makes commentators into breathless fans and fans into believers, reminding the world that badminton is not just a sport, but a canvas for brilliance, daring, and delight.

Thanks for everything TAI Tzu Ying โ€“ enjoy the next chapter!


There are lots of articles about TTY on this blog but here is one of my favourites https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2023/10/22/tai-tzu-yings-500-wins-excellence-unlimited/ or you may like to read Rene Biaoli’s blog post about Diamond TTY on http://badmintoniacs.wordpress.com

Video courtesy of Shuttle flash


Featured

The Journey of Toh Ee Wei: The Fighterโ€™s Path

Ee Wei and her partner Chen Tang Jia made history in Paris at the 2025 World Championships by becoming the first Malaysian players to win the Mixed Doubles title in a two-set demolition of the second seeds Jiang Zhenbang & Wei Yaxin. The intensity that they brought to the court was unplayable at times; their Chinese rivals struggled to get any foothold in the game.

Screengrab of the champions courtesy of BWF

Ee Wei has lived on the fringes of badminton greatness all her career but somehow, owing to injury, illness or just bad luck she hasnโ€™t climbed to the top of the podium very often. However, on one glorious day – after a near faultless campaign through the tournament โ€“ everything clicked after years of hard work.

Looking back, Ee Weiโ€™s path has not been smooth. Her career could have been ended by surgeries, rejections, illnesses, injuries and the pandemic shutdown but through it all she kept going. She never extinguished the flame of her ambition.

Back in November 2016 Ee Wei was on the podium at the World Junior Championships. At 16 she was the youngest medalist and was recognised as a rising star. Her badminton training had begun at her local club when she was 7 and by the time she was 13 her life revolved around practice and schoolwork at the Bukit Jalil Sports School. By 2018 she was part of the national squad and with Pearly Tan won silver at Asian and World Junior Championships in the Girls Doubles, everything was looking good.

Then everything stalled. Chronic sinusitis required surgery but afterwards it was impossible to balance effective recovery with national training. Reluctantly she had to take the long view, so quit the team and ended her partnership with Pearly.

She refused to give up. For a while she trained independently so she could control the pace of her work and her tournament schedule. Eventually returning to the national team in 2020 only to be knocked off course again by the global pandemic and the movement restrictions. For months she endured training with no tournament to aim for; all the while battling isolation and a low mood. She had hit a dead end.

XD coach Paulus threw her a lifeline. He suggested she switch disciplines and as the world was learning to live with Covid she was paired with Choong Hon Jain and together they won the 2021 Polish Open followed by two more titles. Just as it seemed like she was getting some career momentum another blow: bone tuberculosis. Weeks of hospital treatment meant there were times she was too ill to walk.

Her comeback in 2022 made her dig deep within herself. She had to rebuild her muscle and refine her skills. She fought her way into the world top 30 partnered with Chan Peng Soon then Hoo Pang Ron. After a team reshuffle, just a few months before Olympic qualification, she was matched with Chen Tang Jie and maybe – far in the distance – destiny was starting to call her name.

Together they grew. They claimed the 2023 Orleans Masters then soon after they were part of Malaysiaโ€™s bronze winning Sudirman cup team. Successes meant they broke into the world top 10. There were still some setbacks but they kept going and secured a spot at the Paris Olympics.

The Olympics are always tough and for this pair Paris 2024 brought some triumphs but also frustration. They battled through the group phase and upset the world #2 but in the QF a desperate dive left her injured. She kept fighting but they fell short. I think that this experience drained them. The Olympics can be extraordinary in the way that it engages non-sports fans but that brings extra pressure. We have seen post-Olympic fatigue in plenty of athletes and in an article in the Star after in August 2024 she talked about trying to rediscover her playing rhythm and mental tiredness. 

The partnership seemed subdued and six months later following a disappointing early exit from the All England they split in what coach Rexy described as a โ€œtactical resetโ€. It was a brave call. The gamble was that the two athletes would realise that they were stronger together or else renew their focus in a new pairing.

In hindsight the split was an inspired decision. After significant clamour from fans and negotiations with coaches and officials they reformed. They had decided to take a chance to rebuild with a clean slate. They knew what they had to improve to stay together; not least communication and learn to focus on just the next point.

Back together but no sudden leap forward. Instead hard training to reframe their relationship. Rexy Mainaky observed that although he could see some encouraging signs it was time for them both to grow up and move on from their past difficulties. Although tournament results were failing to set the world alight they were starting to string wins together. Seeded 4 they arrived at the World Championships understanding that focus and mutual support was essential. Their coaches believed in them, the fans supported them and finally through a wonderful week their plans came together, only ending with gold medals around their necks at the top of the podium.

Today Ee Wei is more than just a world champion. She is proof that success is not about a smooth climb but about refusing to give up even when starting over seems impossible.


Most of this article was written by a big fan of Ee Wei – Lucy XU Fang Ning. Iโ€™d like to thank her for sharing her knowledge and giving me permission to post this shorter version of her original.

Lucyโ€™s original article which covers Ee Weiโ€™s journey in more detail is here https://xfnrandomname.blogspot.com/2024/07/toh-ee-wei-everyone-has-their-own-story.html?m=1&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabqTfL2AtH_3Ave74I79prd5XPI8cFAIPYoVQ5dYOn_KPleI6z1CDY3G_8_aem_TpEfeKALm1ub2aVDg_US8wor if you prefer the Chinese language version https://xfnrandomname.blogspot.com/2024/07/blog-post.html?m=1&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZo0qeonDJKniUJl75RbiNS_8WizYhDKbDNL8udYYnPssgQt1gWtT_mlP0_aem_5XBl9wkJt568gCp6kFJuYQ


If you like reading about badminton thereโ€™s plenty on this website or you will find lots of interest on Rene Biaoliโ€™s site too https://badmintoniacs.wordpress.com/


FukuMatsu: Running Towards New Challenges

Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto have reignited their careers by forming a new partnership and committing to a year together. By winning the Malaysia Open S1000 they have shown that they are ready to face the best in the world.

Yuki and Mayu first teamed up at the 2020 Uber Cup – a scratch pairing born from the absence of their regular partners. Initially seen as a stopgap the duo showed promise but the relationship was put on ice after the tournament. Fast forward to the end of 2024 and the partnership was given another chance to blossom.

Yuki at 31 years old could have chosen an honourable wind-down to retirement after a series of setbacks including the heartbreaking injury to her partner at the Tokyo Olympics and the missed qualification for Paris 2024. Instead, she found a new spark by linking up with Akira Koga in mixed doubles and collected wins that reinvigorated her confidence. Then came the retirement of Mayu’s long-term partner Wakana Nagahara, prompting Mayu to leave her domestic team and join up with Yuki at Honegori Sagamihara.

Now, the pair has pledged to spend a year competing together; aiming to play with freedom and avoid the pressure of high expectations. It’s a smart approach that allows them to embrace their potential without the burden of perfection.

Their chemistry on court is undeniable; their smiles are uplifting. Yuki can be a good defensive anchor; calmly absorbing pressure and setting up attacks. Mayu has a sharp, hard smash and a good reach so the rotation between them doesn’t expose weakness but I prefer her around the front court. She has courage and good spatial sense. Her cross court play and audacious shots can turn a rally’s momentum around. There are still errors of communication between them but the base level of two former world #1 is so high they should be able to overcome glitches.

FukuMatsu have arrived. Who knows how far this journey will take them? The Malaysia Open victory was just the beginning of what promises to be a thrilling partnership.


If you enjoyed this then take a look at my piece about FukuHiro at the Tokyo Olympics here https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2021/08/27/yuki-and-sayaka-at-the-olympics/

My friend – Rene Biaoli often writes about Malaysian badminton and you can find his website here https://badmintoniacs.wordpress.com/2025/01/07/hello-axiata-arena/

ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved


Featured

Olympic Badminton 2024: Top Takeaways

Filled with moments of triumph and heartbreak this Olympic tournament had everything a fan could have asked for: intense drama, passion, and romance. In the end it felt like the โ€œrightโ€ players were standing on the podium.

Screengrab used courtesy CCTV5

Mixed Doubles – Romantics Assemble!

ZHENG Siwei and HUANG Ya Qiongโ€™s performance was nothing short of spectacular as they upgraded from Tokyo Silver to Paris Gold without dropping a single set. In the final they decisively beat KIM Won Ho & JEONG Na Eun to complete their collection of major titles.

There was a romantic flourish after the medal ceremony when Ya Qiong was ambushed by LIU Yuchen who went down on one knee, promised to love her forever and offered her a Darry ring. It was a beautiful moment and an absolute tearjerker.

Yuta and Arisa had wanted Gold but in the end they defended their Bronze well.

Men’s Singles: Viktor Victorious Again

I completely underestimated Viktor Axelsenโ€™s ability to repeat his Tokyo success. His fitness, tactical acumen and will to win was faultless. Kunlavut Vitidsarn is the current World Champion and played beautifully throughout the tournament until he came up against Viktor in the final. He was bulldozed into Silver by the Dane who never allowed him to get his counterattack going. Viktor was formidable and an absolute credit to badminton in his sporting treatment of rivals and his interactions with fans.

LEE Zii Jia travelled to Paris aiming for Gold but in the end had to settle for Bronze. When he reviews his performance, he can be proud of his success. On the way to his medal, he demolished Anders Antonsen โ€“ one of the pre-tournament favourites โ€“ and came from behind to beat Lakshya Sen in the Bronze medal match. I hope this makes him hungry for glory in Los Angeles in 2028.

SHI Yuqi arrived in Paris as the top seed but faltered early and was destroyed by Kunlavut. It was a shattering loss as he has been playing so well all year. He could not get his game to flow.

Men’s Doubles: The Dormant Champs Reactivate

LEE Yang and WANG Chi-Linโ€™s victory was like an epic story of superheroes from ancient legend. The mighty champions of Tokyo have been VERY low profile over the past three years, but they heard the call of Gold and reignited at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena. After negotiating their escape from Group D, it was starting to look like their bond with the Gold medal was unbreakable; and despite a white-knuckle ride through the final they eventually overcame LIANG and WANG over three sets to defend their title.

Aaron CHIA and SOH Wooi Yikโ€™s battle for Bronze was a nail biter. They were pushed to the brink of defeat by Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen but managed to claw their way back into the match and eventual victory. The Danes deserve credit for a strong tournament even though there was no medal in the end.

Women’s Doubles

CHEN Qing Chen and JIA Yi Fan have been relentlessly pursuing Olympic Gold and like their compatriots in XD the upgrade from Tokyo silver was well deserved. Their aggression and precision overwhelmed opponents who could not knock them off the path to the top of the podium. It turned out that it was nearly Pneumonia that defeated their campaign as they revealed that Yi Fan had been in hospital and unable to train not long before the games. Her resilience and determination to get back on court with her partner was rewarded when they triumphed over LIU Sheng Shu and TAN Ning in the final.

In the Bronze medal match the Japanese pair Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida emerged victorious over Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan. Despite the Malaysianโ€™s valiant effort the Japanese duo found an extra gear when it mattered and grabbed a place on the podium.

Women’s Singles

AN Se Young arrived on court as the hot favourite for Gold despite struggling with injury since the last Asian Games. Her mental resilience and all-round game saw her through a tough campaign to the final with unbreakable self belief. In the final she defeated HE Bing Jiao to become the first Korean woman to win this Olympic title since BANG Soo-Hyun in Atlanta. With her current form, it is easy to see her dominating womenโ€™s singles for years.

Veterans Ratchanok Intanon and TAI Tzu Ying were both competing in their fourth Olympics. After Mayโ€™s victory over her close friend Tzu Ying, TAI revealed that her injuries had been so severe that she doubted she could even walk onto the court. May was eventually beaten by Gregoria Tunjung who went on to win Bronze and is poised to challenge hard for titles in the coming years.

Top Takeaways

The Olympics is traditionally a showcase for athletic excellence and this tournament delivered in all sectors. There was an unmistakable poignancy to some of the matches in the Arena and the feeling that it was the end of an era. Some of the outstanding players of this generation have run out of time to be Olympic Champion. Carolinaโ€™s heartbreaking exit in the semifinal emphasised the fine lines between triumph and disaster in sport. The younger generation will get more chances to shine and should use disappointment in Paris to fuel performance in LA.


If you enjoyed this then take a look at my celebration of MayTAI; the El Classico of the badminton world https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2023/04/09/tai-tzu-ying-ratchanok-intanon-maytai/

If you are a fan of Malaysian badminton here are two sites you will enjoy https://badmintoniacs.wordpress.com/ or why not try Shuttlehard which you can find on social media channels.


Please ask permission to repost and/or alter any of my work. Without prejudice I explicitly do not give permission to sportsnews or cabron tv to use any of my work.

ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved

Featured

Pearly & Thinaah: Into the Olympic Semifinals

In a brutal demolition of their Korean opponents Pearly Tan & Thinaah Muralitharan made history as the first Malaysian WD pair to reach an Olympic final. Wow, did they deserve this win.

Screenshot

There was a focus and intensity about the pair of them right from the start. This was a death or glory tie, and they made the choice to go for glory. The first set went by in a flash. The attack was slick and the defence held steady. There was a quiet confidence about them as they went toe-to-toe with the Tokyo bronze medalists. One up 21-12. How would the Koreans respond? This was an unbelievable start.

Korea began the second set in a more composed way. The serve alternated as no-one was able to build momentum. 4-4. 5-5. 8-8. Then something flicked the attack switch inside Pearly and Thinaahโ€™s game brains โ€“ the semifinals were calling, and they could not ignore the temptation to go for it.

Pearly in particular was adept at moving her opponents around to gain space to attack. She was always searching for angles to exploit. Thinaah was her reliable back-up. Nothing got past her. The Koreans started to run out of ideas as Malaysia edged ahead into the interval just ahead 11-8.

They were unrelenting as they played for a semi-final place. The score kept ticking up and they were so smooth in their partnership. The understanding between them and their faith in their strategy was incredibly resilient. Kim/Kong were still fighting hard and managed to claw back some points.

At 12-13 I was a little concerned as Pearly seemed to be having a minor hamstring twinge; suddenly the Koreans were level 13-13. Was this the anticipated fight-back?

Fearless and brave the Malaysian pair took deep breaths, refocused, and found a higher level.  Their rivals were pressured into unforced errors; they were misjudging the drift, and their challenge was starting to fade. Pearly and Thinaah were hungry for points. They had not stepped on court to indulge the Koreanโ€™s love of long rallies. They were direct and determined. Still the score kept advancing in their favour.

There was nothing that Kim/Kong could do to counter this persistent attack. As the set progressed, they faded. As they faded, Pearly and Thinaah grew. 18-13, 19-13, 20-13 match point. Surely nothing could stop them now. Never in doubt! 21-13. What a performance.


If you enjoyed this then take a look at the article written by my friend Rene Biaoli http://badmintoniacs.wordpress.com

ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved

Carolina Marin

Two titles in two weeks โ€“ Marin is riding a fabulous hot streak โ€“ will she stay fit enough to challenge for a podium place at the Olympics this summer? The danger that she poses to the Fab Four is real.

The winning moment.
Photo by kind permission of Rachel Drew.

After her recent All England victory CAI Yun analysed some elements of her game and compared her to rivals. He pointed out that as a three-time winner of the World Championships and the current Olympic champion she has nothing to prove at the big tournaments. This can liberate her from the pressure that many top athletes suffer and allow her to play freely.

Spain has world-class tennis players but no big tradition in badminton. Her incredible career achievements put her at the centre of the world of Womenโ€™s Singles, but she has often been culturally a little on the fringes. Her partnership with coach Fernando Rivas is key because they were both outsiders โ€“ unrestricted by convention- who were open to using new methods to achieve success.

Fitness will play a pivotal role in the outcome of the Womenโ€™s Singles tournament in Paris. Her main rivals for Olympic medals are all battling injuries. Akane has just returned to competition, TTY mentioned hamstring problems, AN Se Youngโ€™s knee is a bit dodgy, and CHEN YuFei has persistent soreness. Who can maintain their physical condition to vie for Olympic glory? Carolina has recovered successfully from two career-threatening ACL injuries and possesses the emotional strength to move on. Tribute must be paid to the team behind her, who keep her motivated through dark days and the gym grind.

I am always fascinated by her behaviour on court. CAI Yun mentioned this too. She has mastered the art of PsyOps and has been allowed by the badminton establishment to push the boundaries of conduct towards her opponent. She can be quite intimidating; if she were a lawyer, I would want her on my defence team.

Everyone knows about her slightly unnerving shouts but there are other tactics that can disrupt the momentum of a match. Toweling down, and requests for court mopping are completely legitimate in my opinion but there is an undefined point where it becomes โ€˜too much.โ€™  That is the crux of this โ€“ if no one is prepared to say what is too much then why criticize a player who has added it to their armour?

The shuttle is another weapon that Marin uses. It is never โ€˜out of playโ€™ even if the point has concluded. Often it is not returned directly to an opponent but flicked away off to the side. Just small things that stall the progress of a match can become immensely powerful.

Marin stands poised on the brink of history. She has the mental resilience to surge past everyone and cement her legacy as one of the all-time badminton greats.


Thank you to Rene Biaoli (of https://badmintoniacs.wordpress.com) for kindly translating CAI Yun’s thoughts about Marin’s recent All England win. Thank you to Rachel Drew for allowing me to use her photo of Carolina.


ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved

Pearly & Thinaah: What Happens Next?

Before we look forward to Paris 2024 letโ€™s cast our minds back to Paris 2022 and the final of the Yonex French Open.  Pearly & Thinaah had negotiated a tough run to the final beating Matsuyama/Shida in their QF and Baek/Lee in the SF and now they faced the Japanese pair Matsumoto and Nagahara. Over three big sets their will to win, their strategy and their fitness saw them grab the title, igniting anticipation from fans for the years ahead.

2RW1KFF Hong Kong, China. 15th Sep, 2023. Pearly Tan, Thinaah Muralitharan of Malaysia.
(Credit Image: ยฉ Ben Lau/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire) From Alamy

Itโ€™s interesting to remember the challenges Thinaah faced leading up to the tournament; training solo while Pearly recovered from a hamstring injury. Injuries and the risk of injury poses a significant obstacle to this pairโ€™s progress. Since winning Gold at the Commonwealth Games in August 2022 and their later victory in Paris later that year consistently maintaining peak fitness has been a struggle. Beyond the impact upon tournament participation, it disrupts training and overall progression.

WD at the Tokyo Olympics was probably the last hurrah for the โ€œWar of Attritionโ€ style.  Greysia Polii excelled at endurance, and she stepped on court with experience of the Olympics . T&Tโ€™s style could be seen as the natural antidote to long rallies. At their most effective they bring a fizzy counterpoint to the court. Thinaah gives a good foundation to the pair with her defensive vision. Pearly is liberated to use her creativity and go hunting for points.

However, their recent match at BATC  against the Indonesian pair Mayasari/Sugiarto  was marked by mistakes and hesitancy suggesting  they havenโ€™t hit their stride yet in the journey to Olympic qualification. Perhaps the fear of injury has tempered their style and relish for competition.

Itโ€™s vital that they avoid stagnating.  Reports suggest that Rexy Mainaky has arranged for them to spar with men in training recognizing a gap in standards with the other WD. Lately they have seemed a bit vulnerable to sustained attack โ€“ lacking the strategic resilience to break their opponentโ€™s rhythm. Intensified training may offer a solution to this and bolster their competitive edge.

Olympic expectations were high when they were ranked at 5 at the start of 2023. They have slipped a little, but they havenโ€™t suddenly become bad players.  They lost their momentum owing to injury so now – if they can both stay fit- there is still time to arrive in Paris with a renewed optimism. Their path to the Olympics has been full of difficulties so far. Yet with resilience and determination, the support of coaches and fans they can step on court to chase their dreams.


If you’re a fan of Malaysian Badminton take a look at https://shuttlehard.com/ and also https://badmintoniacs.wordpress.com/ .


Thanks to Rene Biaoli and the vast community of Malaysian Badminton fans for observations and shared ideas.

ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved

Featured

TAI Tzu Ying Wins the WTF 2023

TAI Tzu Ying is the Champion again at the World Tour Finals โ€“ this is a triumph we will savour in years to come. Her resilience and will-to-win carried her through an incredible weekend to finish at the top of the podium.

Screengrab courtesy of BWF TV

After coming back from the dead against AN Se Young in their semifinal TAI Tzu Ying faced Carolina Marin in the last match of 2023 to battle for Gold. Marin is always an intimidating opponent and her form this week – her touch and focus – meant that this was going to be a huge task for the Queen.

Two battle-scarred athletes faced each other over the net. The slow hall allowed Marin a few microseconds of advantage to neutralize Tzu Yingโ€™s natural game. TTY appeared a bit leggy at the beginning and Marin dominated the early exchanges to close out the first set 21-12.

The second set started, and TTY was struggling to reach the shots from Carolina that stretched her sideways. Her left leg was obviously strapped, and her opponent was good at exploiting this. Advantage to the Spaniard at the break 11-9. Then, a shift in the balance of power. TAI won 6 points in a row, and Marin was making some mistakes under pressure. Both players are running on โ€˜old legsโ€™ these days; both are a little slower and less agile than 5 years ago. TTY rode the momentum she had generated and levelled up the contest, winning the second set 21-14.

The decider started evenly but there was a moment when TAI was 8-9 behind that produced a pivotal shot. Under extreme pressure and suffering with her troublesome left knee she executed a magnificent backhand crosscourt net shot that skimmed along the net cord like a flat pebble across still water and dropped to Marinโ€™s side of the court. 9-9 and she was immediately infused with self-belief whilst Carolina started to deflate.

Watching fans hardly dared to hope as suddenly TAI Tzu Ying seized the advantage. Six points in a row took her to 18-12 and although Carolina fought courageously, she could not disrupt the passages of play enough to get back into the match. 21-18 and the title went to The Queen.

TAI Tzu Yingโ€™s first victory at the World Tour Finals was ten years ago in 2014. This is her fourth title at the season-ending extravaganza and the sweetest, as the campaign this year has been extraordinary and one for us all to relish. The semi-final against AN Se Young felt like the thousandth meeting this year. We all thought that we knew the script as the head-to-head was 10-2 in the Koreanโ€™s favour but in an epic match TTY forced an incredible win against the odds.โ€‚

This is a well-deserved victory. A reward for never giving up, for hard work and for being true to herself. Huge congratulations to Tzu Ying for a remarkable week and heartfelt thanks from all her fans for a wonderful weekend’s play.


If you enjoyed this then take a look at some of my other articles about TAI Tzu Ying on my blog https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2023/10/22/tai-tzu-yings-500-wins-excellence-unlimited/ about the 500 wins milestone or this one from a while ago about the incredible team who support her https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2021/02/25/team-tai-tzu-ying/


ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved

Featured

TAI Tzu Ying’s 500 Wins: Excellence Unlimited

In a truly momentous milestone TAI Tzu Ying has achieved the feat of securing her 500th victory. Sheโ€™s travelled a long way from the skinny kid winning her first pro match in 2007 to the worldwide icon about to grace her fourth Olympics.

2RR8TM1 Zhongguo, China’s Jiangsu Province. 7th Sep, 2023. Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei hits a return during the women’s singles second round match against Zhang Yiman of China at the 2023 China Open badminton tournament in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Sept. 7, 2023. Credit: Yang Lei/Xinhua/Alamy Live News

She is badmintonโ€™s once-in-a-lifetime star; beloved throughout the world, transcending her sport in the same way that Federer transcends tennis.ย  Dazzling deception is baked into her approach. Her exquisite shots are a shared celebration of her command of the game as her fans provide a soundtrack of delight wherever in the world she plays.

Many people have played a part in shaping her genius โ€“ itโ€™s born of years of hard work, unfettered imagination and joy in competition.ย  Looking back to her formative years it was the support of her family that nurtured the spark of brilliance.ย  Her father introduced her to the sport and โ€“ as the story goes โ€“ took her around the smaller clubs that dot her homeland to take on adults. ย She couldnโ€™t compete equally in terms of strength, but hated losing, so she had to hone her trickery. Imagine if you had been a club player in Kaohsiung suddenly facing TTY across the net โ€“ there must be people in the city who did just this in the early days.

A hand injury suffered when she was thirteen could have been a debilitating setback.ย  Instead, it catalyzed the development of her extraordinary backhand skills.ย  As her father astutely observed, the injury proved to be a blessing in disguise.

TTYโ€™s spontaneous panache on court has been supported by Coach LAI who understands that her flair must be nurtured rather than squashed to fit established playing styles.ย  Her father was key in identifying LAI as a coach on the right wavelength to look after her. The formation of her team โ€“ physio, coach, & trainer has been designed to give her support in all areas of her game.

It’s impossible to pick a favourite TAI Tzu Ying match but the series of breathtaking battles with Ratchanok Intanon over the years standout as the El Classico of the badminton world. The spectacular skills of both athletes elevate these games to thrilling contests between wonderful opponents challenging each other to reach new heights of wizardry. Read more here TAI Tzu Ying & Ratchanok Intanon:ย MayTAI

500 Up, more than 200 weeks as World #1 and not finished yet. Dr TAI’s zest for the game has refocused with the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon. It’s impossible to predict what results the next year will bring but we know that when she walks onto the court her fans will be there to clap and cheer, standing ready to support and witness the unlimited brilliance of this incredible player.


If you enjoyed this then take a look at one of my archive articles about TTY https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2022/01/29/tai-tzu-ying-200-breathtaking-weeks-as-world-1/ or this one https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2022/03/02/tai-tzu-ying-at-the-all-england/


ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved

Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan: Players of the Day.

Pearly Tan & Thinaah Muralitharan seemed destined for a two-set exit at the Axiata Arena today but then something extraordinary happened.

Screengrab courtesy of the broadcaster

By the middle of the second set the two Malaysians were struggling to get any sort of foothold in the match.ย  Fukushima and Hirota were consistently winning rallies as they ensnared their opponents in a war of attrition. They were repeatedly sending up big clears, extending rallies and targeting a visibly exhausted Pearly for point after point.

Suddenly something shifted.ย  The fans detected a glimmer ofโ€ฆsomethingโ€ฆ and a resistance was born.ย  Intelligently Tan & Thinaah called the Japanese bluff and turned their strategy back on them.ย  Perhaps the exertions of last week’s Sudirman cup started to be felt.ย  Incredibly they managed to level the scores and then held on under incredible pressure to force a decider.

The third set began horrifically for PearThin and I suspected that they had given too much to stay in the match.ย  They were 1-6 down before they managed to start clawing their way back into the tie.ย  There was a mesmerizing rhythm to the exchanges.ย  The Malaysian pair kept prolonging the rallies and Hirota especially was put under immense stress.ย  Between them, FukuHiro misjudged the baseline 5 times in the first half of the last set and Tan/Thinaah seized their chance.

All four athletes were tired, seemingly functioning on muscle memory as they fought from point to point.ย  All four should be proud of their resilience and desire. But with the score deadlocked on 12-12 Pearly โ€“ completely depleted โ€“ summoned up some last energy and scored a big point at the net: 13-12.

The duo who never give up just didnโ€™t give up.ย  The lucky spectators at the Perodua Malaysia Masters were treated to an exhibition of resilience, teamwork and spirit with touches of brilliance at key moments.ย  They closed out the final set 21-16. What a day for Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, fantastic! That was a GAME.


If you enjoyed this take a look at my old article about Tan/Thinaah. It needs an update but it’s still fun to read https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2021/11/21/pearly-tan-thinaah-muralitharan/ or this one about FukuHiro https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2021/08/27/yuki-and-sayaka-at-the-olympics/


ยฉ2025

Amanda Bloss All Rights Reserved