Women’s Singles: Top Five Players to Watch

Wang Zhi Yi, Chen Yu Fei and Han Yue have a task on hand – to break the 13-year women’s singles title drought for China. This long spell is unusual for a country which has produced many of the all-time greats of women’s singles.

Five of their opponents who have contributed to this long-running streak are in the competition this year: Ratchanok Intanon (2013), Nozomi Okuhara (2017), Pusarla V Sindhu (2019), Akane Yamaguchi (2021, 2022, 2025) and An Se Young (2023).

Can China break the spell? Will one of the above names surge to the top once again? Or will it be a new champion altogether? These are the questions that will be addressed over the course of the World Championships in New Delhi.

It has been another terrific season for the No.1, winning five titles from six finals besides leading her team to the Uber Cup gold. A foot injury at the Japan Open was cause for concern in the weeks leading up the World Championships. Given how she has navigated injury crises in the past, An is expected to return strong as ever.

The mid-season has been seen a sparkling Akane Yamaguchi: six straight finals, of which she won three titles. The Japanese has hardly had a break all year, but she continues to thrive with her scorching pace and relentlessness. With three world titles she is tied with Carolina Marin; New Delhi will offer her the chance to enter the record books with an unprecedented fourth title.

The 2020 Olympic champion is some way off her best, but continues to challenge for the big titles. She has a single title this year from four finals, but having made at least the semifinals of her 10 tournaments, a shot at the world title is very much within grasp. Twice runner-up and three-time bronze medalist at the Worlds, Chen will be motivated to make that final leap to gold.

The All England champion doesn’t yet have a medal at the World Championships, and she will want to address that anomaly. She had a great first half of the season with five straight finals, memorably beating An Se Young for the All England title, but in recent weeks her form has dipped ever so slightly. Still, she will be among the frontline contenders for a medal.

The Indian has scripted a sensational comeback this season. Having last won a Super 500 or above title four years ago, she rode back into familiar territory with the Japan Open crown beating players like Han Yue, Chen Yu Fei and Akane Yamaguchi. It was her biggest title since the World Championships gold in 2019, and pitches her back into contention on home soil.

Others to Watch: Putri Kusuma Wardani, Sim Yu Jin, Ratchanok Intanon, Kim Ga Eun, Pornpawee Chochuwong

Keep an Eye On: Neslihan Arin, Kaloyana Nalbantova

Top Home Contenders: Pusarla V Sindhu, Unnati Hooda