Malvika Bansod joins Saina, Sindhu as third Indian woman to break into world top-25 in singles

Tired of too many ads?
“I have worked very hard to reach my career best so far, the BWF rank 23. I still have a long way to go to make our nation proud. I am very grateful to my coaches, sponsors, family and the grace of the almighty. A big thanks to the ones who believed in me and bigger thanks for the ones who challenged me to try better.” Malvika told TOI from Basel, where she will be playing the Swiss Open.

In the rankings released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Malvika jumped from 28th to the 23rd position with a total of 46,802 points. For her pre-quarterfinal entry in the All England Championships, Malvika gained 4,800 points to reach her career-best ranking.

Sindhu's first round exit in the All England Championships, dropped the India No.1 to the 17th position with a total of 53,790 points.

With this latest ranking update, both Sindhu and Malvika continue as the best two Indian women shuttlers. Anupama Upadhyaya (43rd position), Rakshitha Sree (45) and Aakarshi Kashyap (48) are the other Indian shuttlers in the top-50 of the world.

If both Sindhu and Malvika win their two outings in Basel, Switzerland, the top two Indian shuttlers could face off in a clash of two generations in the women’s singles quarterfinals. In the opening round Malvika will face Canada’s world No.20 Michelle Li. In their only face off, Malvika had suffered a 18-21, 22-20, 9-21 defeat at the German Open in 2022.

Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, and live scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Find out how to watch IPL 2025 in Canada and the USA.