Growing singles aces

Team China was once a dominant force at singles competitions, with the best example being retired singles legend Lin Dan, a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion. And on the women's side, a group of stars, including two-time Olympic champion Zhang Ning, made sure Team China was always on the top step of the podium.

However, when these superstars decided to hang up their rackets and leave the court, Team China's singles dominance went with them. This was never more obvious than at December's finals. No Chinese player made it into the men's singles final, while two Chinese women finished in third and fourth places, respectively.

The best hope for Team China on the men's side is Shi Yuqi. The 26-year-old was suspended by the Chinese Badminton Association after his controversial behavior in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup in October 2021. After his 10-month suspension, the star returned in style, participating in six tournaments in the 2022 season, finishing the year with two golds at the Denmark Open and the Australian Open.

There are high expectations that Shi will become the next Chinese superstar in the men's singles arena, and he is moving steadily toward meeting them.

"I returned for four months and I won two gold medals. That's really unthinkable, even for myself. I want to thank the national team, my coach, my family and all the people who have been helping me. I will use this momentum to try even harder in the future," Shi said after winning the Australian Open.

For the women, the biggest star is the Tokyo Olympic women's singles champion Chen Yufei, who won a bronze at the BWF World Tour Finals. The 24-year-old has yet to become a dominant force in the women's singles on the world stage.

"There's still a long way to go. I want to congratulate all the Chinese players who made their breakthrough this year, which proved that all of our hard work has paid off. We will try harder to reclaim glory in the future," Chen wrote on social media.