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The world rankings released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Thursday, December 20, 2018, brought delight to the Indian badminton contingent as both PV Sindhu and Sameer Verma moved up following their spectacular performances at last week’s BWF World Tour Finals. Sindhu, who emerged as the champion at this tournament, climbed three spots to No. 3 and is now just one place shy of matching her career-high ranking of No. 2.
This was Sindhu’s first title of the season after failing to cross the final hurdle in seven events since September of last year. This also helped her to erase the setback she suffered a year ago when she went down fighting to Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in three tight games.
By winning the biggest title of her career, the Pullela Gopichand protégé also etched her name in the record books as the only Indian to triumph at the season-ending championships.
Sameer Verma, the other Indian who played at this prestigious tournament, jumped a couple of ranking spots to reach a career-high No. 12. Verma has been India’s most consistent men’s singles shuttler all season and won three titles this year. Even at the BWF World Tour Finals, he notched up two wins in his three group matches to secure a berth in the semi-finals, where he squandered a match point to lose.
Among the other established shuttlers from India, the newly-married Saina Nehwal remains at the ninth position. Kidambi Srikanth is still eighth while HS Prannoy and Sai Praneeth have risen one rung each to 20th and 22nd respectively.
Career-best ranking for Rankireddy and Shetty
The fast-rising Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty too moved up this week. The India No. 1 team soared a couple of spots to reach their career-best ranking of 16th.
Indian national champions Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy too surged a solitary ranking spot to 25th.
The top women’s doubles combine of the country, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy see no change in their rankings and continue to remain perched at 23rd. In mixed doubles too, the top two Indian pairs of Ponnappa-Rankireddy and Reddy-Chopra are static at 22nd and 23rd respectively.
