As another incredible season of badminton comes to an end, it is time to look back at the best performers of 2016. There were many surprises in store and quite a few changes took place at the top of the women’s singles game.
India’s Saina Nehwal was laid low by a knee surgery but the season saw the phenomenal rise of PV Sindhu as she blossomed into a worthy contender for the top titles. The dominance of the established Chinese giants may have ceased, but they have already found a new brigade of stars who are eager to take the sport forward.
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Here are the five best women’s singles players of 2016:
#1 Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Taipei)
Endowed with finesse and guile, Tai Tzu Ying is the Martina Hingis of the badminton world. Her deceptions have long proved to be deadly and have toppled even the tallest stars of the game. That was thoroughly vindicated when a 16-year-old Tai went on to become the youngest No. 1 in Taiwan’s badminton history in 2010.
However, consistency had been her Achilles Heel which she changed in 2016. The Taiwan-born player finally came into her own this season, winning the Indonesia Open Superseries Premier and the Chinese Taipei Open before the Olympics.
At Rio, she failed to build on the momentum and slumped to a straight-games defeat to India’s PV Sindhu in the pre-quarter-finals. But the way she bounced back from it was admirable, and she went on to take the World No. 1 ranking. She reached the final of the Denmark Open Superseries Premier, the semi-finals of the China Open Superseries Premier which culminated into her second titles at both Hong Kong Open Superseries and the prestigious World Superseries Finals.
#2 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
Standing at a diminutive 5’ 2”, Akane Yamaguchi’s immense talent is good enough to lord it over anyone in the game. Singled out by many as a future World No. 1, the prodigious 19-year-old made rapid strides in 2016.
The former two-time junior world champion did not start the season well but thrived as the year progressed. Post the Rio Olympics, she went on a tear, giving a full display of her vast potential. She first made it to the semi-finals of the Japan Open Superseries, then took it further by winning back-to-back Superseries titles at the Korea Open and the Denmark Open. Her run at Denmark was especially stunning where she got the better of both the current and the former World No. 1s Tai Tzu Ying and Carolina Marin.
That was a remarkable achievement which made her just the third non-Chinese woman to triumph in Superseries tournaments in consecutive weeks, joining Tai and the Danish great Tine Baun.
#3 Sun Yu (China)
The baton has passed from China’s irrepressible trio of Li Xuerui, Wang Yihan and Wang Shixian to the next generation. With Yihan and Shixian retiring this year and Xuerui sustaining an injury at Rio, it was left to the rising brigade to carry the torch in Chinese women’s singles badminton.
Tall and athletic, 22-year-old Sun Yu was the best player to fill in their shoes. In 2016, she had her most consistent season as she steadily rose towards the top. She reached as many as six finals which secured her place among the top eight at the World Superseries Finals, where she went unbeaten in the group stage. Sun deservedly finished at a career-high ranking of 6th after going down to 15th in April.
#4 PV Sindhu (India)
There has never been any doubt that the Pullela Gopichand-coached PV Sindhu is a gifted player. Possessing a devastating attacking game, her resume already had two World Championships bronze medals. Her defence had been the only chink in her armour so far.
The 21-year-old, who began the year by winning the Malaysia Masters, worked relentlessly on her weakness and improved by leaps and bounds. Armed with a newfound calmness, she soared to a new high at the Rio Olympics, clinching the silver medal en route to making new history for Indian badminton.
The unstoppable Sindhu continued to impress even after Rio and embarked on a memorable Asian Swing where she won the China Open and reached the final of the Hong Kong Open, rising to career-best No. 7. The late surge gave her a chance to compete with the crème de la creme at the World Superseries Finals and she justified her place by making the last-four.
For her astounding success throughout the season, she was rightly adjudged the ‘Most improved player’ by BWF.
#5 He Bingjiao (China)
Along with Sun Yu, He Bingjiao is the other big prospect in women’s singles coming from the Chinese stable and the 19-year-old established herself as one of the elite players this season. She had a terrific career even in juniors where she clinched the 2014 Youth Olympics gold medal and the silver medal at the World Junior Championships the same year.
In just two years since then, the youngster had a meteoric rise and became a force to reckon with as she won tournaments galore. The southpaw reigned supreme at the French Open and the Japan Open Superseries, besides adding the Swiss Open and the Bitburger Open titles as well.
At the Swiss Open, she went on a giant-killing spree, upsetting four seeds on the way. Bingjiao even broke into the top 10 riding on those performances and is set to climb even higher in the upcoming season.
