Tai Tzu-ying facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tai Tzu-ying 戴資穎
Tai in 2024
Personal information
Born	(1994-06-20) 20 June 1994 (age 31) Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	57 kg (126 lb; 9.0 st)
Country	Taiwan
Years active	2009–present
Handedness	Right
Women's singles
Highest Ranking	1 (1 December 2016)
Current Ranking	104 (3 June 2025)
Medal record Women's badminton Representing  Chinese Taipei Olympic Games Silver 2020 Tokyo Women's singles World Championships Silver 2021 Huelva Women's singles Bronze 2022 Tokyo Women's singles Asian Games Gold 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Women's singles Bronze 2014 Incheon Women's singles Asian Championships Gold 2017 Wuhan Women's singles Gold 2018 Wuhan Women's singles Gold 2023 Dubai Women's singles Bronze 2015 Wuhan Women's singles East Asian Games Silver 2009 Hong Kong Women's team Silver 2013 Tianjin Women's team Bronze 2009 Hong Kong Women's singles Summer Universiade Gold 2017 Taipei Women's singles Gold 2017 Taipei Mixed team Silver 2013 Kazan Women's singles Bronze 2013 Kazan Mixed team Bronze 2015 Gwangju Women's singles Asian Junior Championships Silver 2009 Kuala Lumpur Girls' singles

Tai Tzu-ying (born on June 20, 1994) is a famous badminton player from Taiwan. She became the world's number one women's singles player in December 2016. She held this top spot for 214 weeks, which is the longest time any player has been number one in the history of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

Tai Tzu-ying won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and at the 2021 BWF World Championships. She also won gold medals at the 2017 Summer Universiade and the 2018 Asian Games. She has won the BWF Super Series Finals/World Tour Finals four times, which is a record. She also won the All England Open three times and the Asian Championships three times.

Tai's Badminton Journey

Tai's journey in badminton started when she was in elementary school. Her father, who was a firefighter and led the badminton committee in Kaohsiung city, inspired her. She began playing badminton in fourth or fifth grade. By sixth grade, she won a national ranking tournament in the second division. This win allowed her to play in the first division, making her the youngest player ever to compete at that level.

Starting Young: Early Career (2007-2010)

Tai played in her first international tournament in 2007 at the Vietnam International. In 2009, she won a silver medal at the Asian Junior Championships. She also became the runner-up at the Vietnam Open, a big tournament. In December 2009, Tai won a bronze medal in women's singles at the 2009 East Asian Games and helped her team win a silver medal.

In 2010, Tai competed in a major event, the Korea Open. She reached her first Superseries final at the Singapore Open on her birthday. She started from the qualifying rounds and made it all the way to the final.

First Big Wins (2011-2013)

Tai won the 2011 U.S. Open

In 2011, Tai started beating top-ranked players. She won her first international title at just 17 years old at the U.S. Open. She also reached the semi-finals in Canada, Vietnam, and France. Tai was recognized for her talent and received the best rookie athlete award in 2011.

In 2012, Tai played for her country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She won all her group matches but was stopped by the eventual gold medalist. In September, she won her first Superseries title at the Japan Open. This made her the youngest player at the time to win a Superseries title. She also won the Chinese Taipei Open in October.

Tai won her only title in 2013 at the Malaysia Open. She often reached the quarter-finals in other tournaments that year. She won a silver medal in women's singles and a bronze in the team event at the Summer Universiade. She also reached the final of the Superseries Finals.

Winning More Titles (2014-2015)

Tai won Taiwan's first badminton medal at the 2014 Asian Games, finishing in third place. She reached the finals of the Japan Open. She then won the Hong Kong Open. Tai continued her winning streak at the Superseries Finals in Dubai, winning Taiwan's first title in this event.

In 2015, she did not win any titles.

Becoming World Number One (2016)

In 2016, Tai won the Indonesia Open and the Hong Kong Open. These wins helped her become the World Number One for the first time in her career. She won the Superseries Finals in Dubai for the second time. She also made history by being the first women's singles player to reach the finals of the Superseries Finals three times. She earned the most prize money in 2016.

Asian Champion and Winning Streak (2017)

Before the 2017 season, Tai decided to skip the World Championships to play in the 2017 Summer Universiade in her home country, Taiwan. She wanted to welcome the world to Taiwan through this big event. President Tsai praised her decision. Tai received a Special Contribution Award for her efforts.

Tai won her first All England Open title in March 2017. In April, she won the Malaysia Open and the Singapore Open. She then won the Asian Championships in Wuhan, China, marking her sixth consecutive title. This was also Taiwan's first gold medal in this competition.

Tai continued her winning streak to 27 matches before losing in the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open. At the Universiade, Tai won two gold medals: one in women's singles and one in the mixed team event. She later won the French Open and defended her Hong Kong Open title.

Asian Games Gold and More Wins (2018-2019)

Tai at the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open 2018

In 2018, Tai won the Indonesia Masters title. She then won the Asian Championships and regained her world number one ranking. She broke the record for the longest winning streak with 31 consecutive matches won. However, her streak ended in the quarter-finals of the World Championships.

At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Tai won the gold medal. This was a very important title in her career. She also won the Chinese Taipei Open and the Denmark Open. Her ranking points reached a new high, making her the player with the most points in women's singles history. Tai was nominated for the BWF Female Player of the Year award for her great performance in 2018.

In 2019, Tai reached the finals of the All England Open for the third time in a row. She then won back-to-back titles at the Malaysia Open and Singapore Open. She reached the finals of the China Open and Denmark Open later that year.

Olympic Silver and Top Player Award (2020-2021)

Tai started 2020 by reaching the finals of the Malaysia Masters. In her fourth straight All England Open final, she won the title for the third time. This made her only the second female player to win three titles by reaching four consecutive finals in this tournament. She won against Chen Yufei, getting revenge for her loss the previous year.

In January 2021, Tai reached the finals of two consecutive Thailand Open events. She then won the BWF World Tour Finals for the third time. Tai was named the BWF Female Player of the Year for 2020–2021. She also won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics after a close match in the final.

More Medals and Titles (2022)

In May 2022, Tai won the Thailand Open, beating Chen Yufei and getting revenge for her Olympic loss. She then won her third Indonesia Open title. She also won her fourth Taipei Open title.

In August 2022, Tai won a bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She also reached the finals of the World Tour Finals in Bangkok, finishing second.

How Tai Plays Badminton

Tai Tzu-ying is known for her exciting and unpredictable playing style. She plays an offensive game, meaning she tries to attack her opponents. She can hit the shuttlecock from almost anywhere on the court with many different shots and angles. Her hitting action looks very relaxed.

She has a strong backhand shot and is good at playing close to the net. Sometimes, her biggest challenge is being inconsistent. Tai also has great stamina and is very athletic. She once hit a smash at 360 km/h at the 2016 All England Open, even though she prefers to play slowly to set up her shots.

Many experts, like BWF commentator Gillian Clark, praise Tai's amazing talent and clever shot-making. They often say she is one of the most exciting players to watch in women's singles.

Tai's Major Achievements

Tai Tzu-ying has won many important medals throughout her career. Here are some of her top achievements:

• Olympic Games: Silver medal in women's singles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
• BWF World Championships: Silver medal in women's singles at the 2021 BWF World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2022 BWF World Championships.
• Asian Games: Gold medal in women's singles at the 2018 Asian Games and a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games.
• Asian Championships: Gold medals in women's singles in 2017, 2018, and 2023. She also won a bronze medal in 2015.
• Summer Universiade: Gold medals in women's singles and mixed team at the 2017 Taipei Universiade.
• BWF World Tour Finals: Champion four times (2014, 2016, 2020, 2023).
• All England Open: Champion three times (2017, 2018, 2020).

Tai has a strong record against many top players. For example, she has won 19 out of 27 matches against Chen Yufei and 19 out of 24 matches against P. V. Sindhu. She has also won 20 out of 36 matches against Ratchanok Intanon.

Images for kids

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  Tai in 2024

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  Tai holds the trophy after winning the 2011 U.S. Open

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  Tai at the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open 2018

See also

In Spanish: Tai Tzu-Ying para niños