Taiwan’s 36-year-old top player, Chou Tien Chen, suffered a dramatic defeat in the semifinals of the 2026 Badminton World Championships, missing the chance to advance to the final and missing the chance to immediately reach the BWF world number one ranking.
However, thanks to his second World Championship bronze medal, the latest world ranking released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) this Sunday has risen back to 4th, and he is only 1051 points behind the newly crowned Indonesian star as world number one, Jonatan Christie.
Chou still has the opportunity to compete for world number one.
Only 1051 points behind Jonathan Christie
Chou Tien chen rose to world number two in August 2019, setting a new record for Taiwanese men’s singles. It has maintained its position in the world’s top 10 rankings in recent years.
At this World Championships, he fought hard in the competition, not only reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2022, but also becoming the first Taiwanese player to win two bronze medals at the World Championships.
His points increased to 86,580, and he rose from 6th to 4th in the world rankings. He is only behind world number 3, Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand with 86,915 points, Greg Popov from France with 87,002 points, and Christy with 87,631 points.
The world ranking rose to 4th place
Chou Tien Chen, who has been in excellent form in the second half of the year, first won the China Open in July, taking home his first Super 1000 series title in seven years.
Then he reached the semifinals of the Taipei Open and the World Championships. After a week’s rest, he will compete in the Super 750 China Masters series on September 1.
Last year, he was eliminated in the round of 16.
If he can continue his recent excellent performance, he will not only be able to improve his skills but also gain a lot of points, moving towards his goal of becoming Taiwan’s first badminton world champion.
Article Tag: Jonathan Christie, Chou Tien Chen, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, BWF Ranking
Published by Ligaolahraga.com at https://www.ligaolahraga.com/badminton/chou-tien-chen-yakin-geser-jonatan-christie-dari-nomor-1-dunia