PV Sindhu breaks into top five of BWF World Rankings
Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu has jumped to the fifth position in the latest women's singles BWF World Rankings, released on Tuesday (October 25). She has broken into the top five for the first time since 2019. The Indian shuttler clinched the gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games earlier this year. However, an ankle injury has kept her out of action since then.
Why does this story matter?
Sindhu has been the poster girl of Indian badminton for the last few years. The 27-year-old boasts a career-high ranking of number two, which she attained back in 2017/18. However, a dip in form meant she moved out of the top five the following year. Nevertheless, Sindhu now holds the fifth place, having displaced Spain's Carolina Marin at the position.
When will Sindhu return to the court?
As mentioned above, Sindhu has been away from action due to fitness-related issues. She is expected to return to the court in December this year for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals 2022 in Guangzhou in China.
Feats achieved by PV Sindhu
Sindhu is the most successful Indian at BWF World Championships with five medals, including a gold. She is the only Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. Her biggest achievement came in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she clinched a silver. She has been conferred with several prestigious awards, including Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, and Padma Bhushan.
Where do other Indian players stand?
Saina Nehwal, who has struggled for form, dropped down a place and is currently ranked 33rd. Lakshya Sen retained his career-best eighth position in the men's standings. Former world number one, Kidambi Srikanth, retained his 11th spot. The in-form HS Prannoy gained a spot and is now placed 12th. Men's doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila moved up two places to 19th.
A look at the other rankings
Women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have advanced to 27th. Mixed doubles pair Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto gained two spots and now stand at career-best 29th place. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy remain India's top men's doubles pair after retaining their eighth spot. Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also continue as India's best-ranked women's doubles team at 24th.
