Taiwan star Tai Tzu-ying set a new record for most accumulated weeks as women’s singles world No. 1, according to the latest Badminton World Federation rankings released April 30.
Tai has held the top spot for a total of 125 weeks, besting by one the mark she previously shared with China’s Li Xuerui. The Taiwan athlete has headed the women’s singles rankings for all but one week since first capturing the crown Dec. 1, 2016.
According to the BWF, Tai’s points total stands at 95,667, almost 6,900 ahead of second-placed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan and about 7,700 in front of China’s Chen Yufei in third.
Given this healthy lead in the rankings, Tai is expected to remain in first position for the near future. Next up for the 24-year-old is the BWF Sudirman Cup May 19-26 in China.
Tai enjoyed a stellar 2018 season, claiming eight tournament victories including the All England Open, Indonesian Open and Taiwan’s first-ever badminton gold at the Asian Games.
In March, the Taiwan star bagged her first championship of 2019 at the Malaysia Open, marking her third consecutive triumph at the event. She followed this up by winning the Singapore Open in early April.
Born in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, Tai became the country’s youngest ever top-ranked player at age 16. She is the first Taiwanese to win the women’s singles titles at prestigious competitions like the All England Open, Badminton Asia Championships and French Open. (CPY-E)
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