World and Olympic champion Lin Dan’s triumph at the Asian championships last week has propelled him back to his familiar role as China’s number one badminton player.
Lin’s win in New Delhi, where he beat Wang Zhengming in the final, came on the back of disappointing early exits at the All England, which he had previously won four times, and Swiss Super Series events.
The 26-year-old leapfrogged compatriot Chen Jin and Dane Peter Gade to second in the new world rankings behind Malaysia’s number one Lee Chong Wei. Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat rounds out the top five.
China continue to dominate the women’s game with world number one Wang Yihan and four of her compatriots occupying the top five spots in the rankings, with India’s sixth-ranked Saina Nehwal the highest ranked non-Chinese.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Patrick Johnston. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
