Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng have become the third Chinese men’s doubles pair to achieve the world No. 1 ranking, following Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng and Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen. This marks the first time since 2017 that a Chinese men’s doubles pair has reached the top spot. Currently, the badminton world lacks sufficiently stable men’s doubles pairs, and the No. 1 position will see a new face next week as Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng make their debut at the summit.
The Indian duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who won gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games and ascended to world No. 1 on the 10th of this month, will relinquish the top spot after holding it for less than a month. The Indian pair, last year’s French Open champions, were defeated in the round of 16 by the legendary Indonesian pair Hendra and Ahsan at this year’s tournament. Additionally, another Indonesian pair, world No. 4 Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, unexpectedly exited in the quarterfinals, confirming Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng’s rise to world No. 1 next week. In the men’s doubles 1/8 finals of the 2023 French Badminton Open, Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng faced Kjaer Søgaard. Both 22 years old, the Chinese pair have won four BWF World Tour titles since partnering last year. However, their recent form has been inconsistent, with early exits at the Hangzhou Asian Games (round of 16), Denmark Open (first round), and French Open (round of 16). Despite these three consecutive setbacks, they are set to claim the top ranking.
