Ratchanok Intanon
Ratchanok Intanon is a Thai badminton player. She has etched her name into badminton history through unparalleled achievements. She first made waves globally by becoming the first player to win three consecutive World Junior Championships titles from 2009 to 2011. Her transition to the senior level was equally historic; in 2013, at age 18, she became the youngest-ever World Champion in the women's singles. Her dominance extended to the continental stage when she captured the gold medal at the 2015 Asian Championships, further solidifying her reputation as one of the most technically gifted players in the world. This is best exemplified by her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, which has been described as "balletic" by badminton commentators Gillian Clark.
Ratchanok has been a dominant force in the SEA Games, winning the individual gold medal in the women's singles and serving as the backbone of the national team. Her leadership was instrumental in guiding Thailand to secure four gold medals in the women's team event at the SEA Games, showcasing her ability to perform under pressure for her country. These achievements, combined with her historic rise to world number 1 in 2016 and her consistent podium finishes in the BWF Tour as well at the Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup, cement her legacy as a true icon of Thai sports and a legendary figure in international badminton.
Career
2008–2010
In 2008, Ratchanok entered the international circuit at the age of 13. The first international tournament she played was the Laos International series, in which she played both singles and doubles. She lost the singles final to Vietnam's Lê Ngọc Nguyên Nhung. She won her first individual international title in 2009 by winning the Vietnam International Challenge when she was 14. She made history by becoming the youngest-ever champion at the 2009 World Junior Championships at 14 in Malaysia by beating her compatriot Porntip Buranaprasertsuk. She reached the final of the Malaysia International Challenge 2009, losing out to Sapsiree Taerattanachai. She also reached the 2009 SEA Games women's singles final, but lost to her compatriot Salakjit Ponsana.In 2010, at the age of 15, Ratchanok successfully defended her title at the World Junior Championships in Mexico by beating Misaki Matsutomo. Her successful run continued after she won the Smiling Fish International, beating teammate Rawinda Prajongjai. She won back-to-back Grand Prix tournaments by winning the Vietnam Open Grand Prix beating China's Zhou Hui and the Indonesia Grand Prix Gold after defeating Cheng Shao-chieh from Chinese Taipei. In the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, she won a silver medal as a member of the women's team. In the final, she lost to Wang Xin, at that time world number 1.
2011–2012
Ratchanok participated in BWF World Championships and lost in the third round to eventual winner Wang Yihan. She was a finalist at the Chinese Taipei Open, where she was defeated by Sung Ji-hyun. She became the most successful player ever in individual events at the World Junior Championships, winning the girls' singles title for the third straight time by defeating Indonesia's Elyzabeth Purwaningtyas. She won the India Open Grand Prix Gold where she received a walkover against Porntip Buranaprasertsuk in final. She was also a member of the women's team that defeated Indonesia in the final of the 2011 SEA Games. She herself was a bronze medalist in singles event, where she lost in the semi-finals to Singapore's Fu Mingtian.In 2012, Ratchanok, at 16 years of age, was awarded the Best Female Athlete Award in Thailand after winning the world junior title for three successive years. She reached the finals of the Thailand Open but lost to Saina Nehwal. After defeating the higher-seeded Juliane Schenk of Germany in round of 16, she reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 Olympic Games where she lost to second seed Wang Xin despite leading 21–17 and 16–9 in the second game. She entered the finals of a Superseries tournament for the first time in the China Open but lost to Li Xuerui 12–21, 9–21. She qualified for the 2012 BWF Superseries Finals and won all of her group matches in straight games against Juliane Schenk, Tine Baun and Saina Nehwal. She lost in the semi-finals there to Wang Shixian. She finished the year as world number 9.
2013
Ratchanok reached the finals of the All England Open, losing to Tine Rasmussen 14–21, 21–16, 10–21. She is the youngest ever singles finalist at the All England Open. She lost in the final of the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold after being defeated by Wang Shixian. She won her first Superseries tournament by beating Juliane Schenk 22–20, 21–14 in the India Open to become the youngest-ever Superseries winner at the age of 18 years, 2 months and 22 days. She again reached the finals of the Thailand Open, winning the title after beating Busanan Ongbamrungphan to become the first Thai ever to win the women's singles title at the Thailand Open since it was first held in 1984.Ratchanok withdrew from both the Indonesia and Singapore Opens to recover from a foot injury and prepare for the BWF World Championships. In World Championships in August, she was seeded fourth. She reached the quarter-finals of this tournament for the first time, where she defeated Carolina Marín in a very hard-fought encounter. Her semi-finals path was relatively easy, where she won against P. V. Sindhu in two games. In the final, she won the title, beating world number 1 and Olympic gold medalist Li Xuerui 22–20, 18–21, 21–14. She was the first-ever Thai player to be the World Champion and was also the youngest singles World Champion ever at the age of 18. She became the world champion while still being eligible to play in the World Junior Championships that year. After the World Championships, she injured her back and failed to qualify for the Super Series Finals, finishing the year as the world number three. She was awarded the "2013 Best Females Athletes Award" from the Thailand Sports Authority.
2014
In 2014, Ratchanok reached the final of the Korea Open for the first time, meeting Wang Yihan and continuing her losing streak against Wang. She was awarded "Best Asian Sporting Icon" by Fox Sports Asia, based on voting from internet fans on its website. She reached the finals of the Indonesia Open but lost to Li Xuerui. She failed to defend her World Championships title after losing in the third round to Minatsu Mitani. She was defeated by Bae Yeon-ju in the quarter-finals of the 2014 Asian Games. She qualified for the Superseries Finals in Dubai but failed to pass the round-robin stage after losing group matches against Tai Tzu-ying and Akane Yamaguchi. She finished the 2014 year as world number 6.2015
In 2015, Ratchanok made a comeback by reaching the final of the India Open for the second time but lost to her opponent Saina Nehwal. A month later, she became the first Thai singles player to win the Asia Championships by defeating Li Xuerui in the final 20–22, 23–21, 21–12 in China. It was the first time that Ratchanok had beaten Li since the final of the 2013 World Championships. In June, she won her first Superseries Premier title by beating Yui Hashimoto of Japan in straight games at the Indonesia Open. However, at the BWF World Championships, she had to retire from court when 8–5 up in the decider against Lindaweni Fanetri in the round of 16 from cramps.Ratchanok won a gold medal with the Thailand women's team at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. After the Indonesia Open, she did not reach the final of any tournaments but earned enough points to qualify for the Dubai World Superseries Finals. In the group stage, she lost to Wang Yihan, but won two other matches against Wang Shixian and Sung Ji-hyun, progressing to the semi-finals. She lost to Wang Yihan there, which brought their head-to-head record to 0–12. She finished the 2015 season at world number seven.
2016
In 2016, Ratchanok won the Thailand Masters, a second Grand Prix Gold tournament in Thailand, by beating Sun Yu in the final. She won the India Open for the second time by beating Li Xuerui in the final. In the Malaysia Open the week after, she defeated Wang Yihan for the first time by beating her in the semi-final. In the final, she beat Tai Tzu-ying to earn the Malaysia Open title for the first time. This was the first time she had won two consecutive Superseries tournaments; Ratchanok then became the first singles player to win three Superseries in three consecutive weeks by winning the Singapore Super Series, defeating Sun Yu in the final. By winning three Superseries in a row, she also rose to the number 1 spot in the world rankings, becoming the first Thai to achieve this feat. Her winning streak ended after she lost to Sayaka Sato in the Asian Championships.Ratchanok qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics and was the Thai flag bearer. At the Olympics she failed to pass the round of 16, losing to Akane Yamaguchi, in two games: 19–21, 16–21. After the Olympics, she suffered a knee injury which forced her to retire from subsequent tournaments. In the Superseries Finals, Ratchanok lost in straight games to Sung Ji-hyun and Tai Tzu-ying, and retired injured against He Bingjiao. She finished 2016 at a world ranking of five.
2017
Ratchanok played in her first tournament of 2017 in March, the All England Open. She made her way to the quarter-finals, where she faced off against world no. 2 Carolina Marín. She won after being down 11–18 in the rubber set but won 10 straight points to close out the match. After defeating Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-finals, she was defeated by Tai Tzu-ying 16–21, 20–22.Ratchanok later in the year took the Thailand Open title, beating compatriot Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the final. She also won the New Zealand Open beating Saena Kawakami. She was disappointed in the World Championships when she lost to Chen Yufei in the quarter-finals. After defeating Sung Ji-hyun and Tai Tzu-ying in the Denmark Open, Ratchanok beat Akane Yamaguchi in the final in three games after being 16–19 down in the final game; she won the game 21–19. She said that she dedicated the title to Thailand's king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who had died the year before. She qualified for the season-ending Superseries Finals, where she defeated Sung Ji-hyun and Tai Tzu-ying and lost the third group match to Chen Yufei. She was defeated in the semi-finals by Akane Yamaguchi in three games after she was leading in the final game.