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The mixed doubles division has been the most competitive it has ever been in the last few years. If you asked me to think of a pair who may be the next GOATs of the mixed doubles, few come to mind. If I had to single one pair out, two names would pop up without hesitation — China’s Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong!
Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong form one of the best mixed doubles pairs in the badminton world today. As of February 7, 2023, the unstoppable duo is still the World’s Number One Ranking. Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong have some of the most impressive achievements of any active mixed doubles pair, including three World Championship titles, reigns as Asian Games and Asian Champions, and more than 24 World Tour titles. Qualifying as a top-seeded pair in 2020, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong also won a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The powerhouse pair are also famous for their dominance of the World Tour in 2018 after winning six consecutive tournaments leading up to the 2018 World Tour Finals.
To say that this pair has achieved much is an understatement. Join me as we deep dive into the careers and achievements of the pair that may just be the next GOATs of the mixed doubles division!
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Zhang Si Wei’s Early Life and Junior Badminton Achievements
Zhang Si Wei was born on February 26, 1997, in Wenzhou, China. As a boy, Zhang took an early liking to sports. When he turned six, he picked up a badminton racket for the first time, and the rest was history!
During his adolescence, he dominated many local and national tournaments in singles and doubles. When he turned 16, he had amassed enough wins and court experience to qualify for his first junior international tournament — the 2013 Asia Youth Championships.
At the tournament, he competed as a singles and doubles player. Although he didn’t do too well in the singles event, the doubles event was a different story. There, he paired with fellow prodigy Huang Kai Xiang to dominate the boys’ doubles event.
Reaching the finals, Zhang and Kai Xiang faced Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen for the World Junior Championship title. Zhang and Kai Xiang lost to their compatriots. Nevertheless, Zhang walked away with his first silver medal at a major tournament.
Three months later, Zhang Si Wei and Huang Kai Xiang crossed paths with their compatriots again in the finals of the 2013 World Junior Championships. Like their last meeting, Zhang and Kai Xiang lost the match but bagged another silver medal.
In 2014, Zhang and Kai Xiang competed at the Asia Youth Championships again. The pair reached the finals to face South Koreans Kim Jaehwan and Jung Ho Kim. Zhang and Kaixiang made short work of their opponents to win their first Asia Youth Championship title — a title Zhang would successfully defend in 2015.
When 2015 came, Zhang played alongside different partners. For the boy’s doubles, he played with He Ji Ting. He partnered with a young Chen Qing Chen for mixed doubles events.
2015 was a successful year for Zheng’s junior career as he captured titles in boys’ and mixed doubles. He won another Asia Youth Championship boys’ doubles title with He Ji Ting and became a mixed doubles champion for the first time at the tournament with Chen Qing Chen.
Huang Ya Qiong’s Early Life and Junior Badminton Achievements
Huang Ya Qiong was born on February 28, 1994. She was born in Quzhou, China. Despite being born earlier than her future mixed doubles partner, Huang started badminton later, beginning at age eight.
Huang played her first junior tournament in 2011. She was 16 when she competed at the 2011 Asia Youth Championships. She advanced to the quarterfinals of the girl’s doubles event but lost to Indonesia’s Suci Rizki Andini andTiara Rosalia Nuraidah.
She spent a year sharpening her skills after the Asia Championships. After much preparation, she paired up with Pei Tian Yi to compete in the girl’s doubles event at the 2012 Asia Youth Championships. Her results improved with her new partner as she bagged her first silver medal at the event.
She snagged another impressive runner-up finish at the 2012 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Championships. There, Huang partnered with Yu Xiao Han to advance to defeat Kim Min Ji and Kim Hyo Min in the semis. Unfortunately, Huang and Yu came up short, losing to Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan in the finals.
Pre-2017 Senior Success With Different Partners
Before pairing up in 2017, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong experienced success in doubles badminton with different partners.
Zheng Si Wei’s Grand Prix and Superseries Success With Huang Kai Xiang and Chen Qing Chen
Early in his badminton career, Zheng Si Wei paired with Huang Kai Xiang. Together, the men’s doubles pair won two BWF Grand Prix titles: the 2015 New Zealand Open and the 2015 Brasil Open. In the latter tournament, Zheng Si Wei also won the mixed doubles event with Chen Qing Chen.
Chen Qingchen was instrumental in Zhen Si Wei’s success in the Grand Prix and Superseries circuits between 2015 and 2017. Together, they won five Grand Prix mixed doubles titles, one International Series title in 2015, and five Superseries titles.
Huang Ya Qiong’s Grand Prix and Superseries Achievements With Tang Jin Hua, Yu Xiao Han, and Lu Kai
At the start of her senior career, Huang Ya Qiong was active in the women’s doubles division. She began her women’s doubles career with Yu Xiao Han and bagged three Grand Prix titles. She and Yu Xiao Han were the victors of the 2013 Canada Open, the 2014 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold, and the 2017 Macau Open.
Huang won the 2015 French Open with Tang Jin Hua. However, Huang’s most successful Superseries run was in mixed doubles with Lu Kai. Huang and Lu Kai were partners from 2015 to the early half of 2017, winning five Superseries in less than two years. They also became 2017 Asian Champions after defeating Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.
Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong’s Pairing in 2017 — Putting the Badminton Mixed Doubles Division on Notice
Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong became partners during the later part of 2017. They played their first mixed doubles event at the 2017 Macau Open. At the tournament, Huang Ya Qiong had already won the women’s doubles event with Yu Xiao Han. Partnering with Zheng Si Wei, Huang advanced to the finals of the mixed doubles event to face South Korea’s Kim Ha Na and Seo Seung Jae.
Zheng and Huang dominated the match, winning in 32 minutes. The victory gave the pair their first title together and Huang’s second title of the tournament.
Confident after their first outing, Zheng and Huang competed two weeks later at the 2017 China Open. There, the newly formed pair dominated the mixed doubles event. In the finals, they faced Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen. Zheng and Huang made short work of their Danish opponents to win their second title of the year.
The two pairs met again less than a week later at the 2017 Hong Kong Open. Like in their first encounter, it was Zheng and Huang who proved to be the superior mixed doubles team.
In less than a month, Zheng and Huang had blazed a trail of title victories in the Grand Prix and Superseries — and they were just getting warmed up.
2018 — Becoming World Number One, World Tour Success, Asian Games Victory, and First World Championship Title
2018 was one of the most successful years of Zheng and Huang’s careers. They kicked off the year with an impressive runner-up finish at the 2018 Malaysia Masters. It was a special tournament since it was the pair’s first tournament of the year — and it was on the World Tour.
Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong breezed to the finals, where Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet awaited them. The match went back and forth. In the third game, the Hong Kong team rallied from behind to win the mixed doubles event.
Hungry for their first World Tour title, Zheng and Huang competed a week later at the 2018 Indonesia Masters. The up-and-coming duo advanced to the finals again. In the finals, they faced the Indonesian team of Liliyana Natair and Tontowi Ahmad. In straight sets, Zheng and Huang defeated their Indonesian opponents to win their first World Tour title.
Months later, Zheng and Huang won another World Tour title at the 2018 Malaysia Open. Their biggest achievement of the year came in August at the World Championships.
At the 2018 BWF World Championships, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong were among the hometown favorites to win. To nobody’s surprise, the pair easily made it to the finals to face Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dong Ping. The All-Chinese final ended with Zheng and Huang winning and becoming World Champions.
A month after the World Championships, Zheng and Huang competed at the 2018 Asian Games. At the tournament, they defeated Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet to win their first Asian Games title.
The pair’s achievements in the World Tour, World Championships, and Asian Games added to their already- impressive World Ranking status. By September 6, 2018, they rose to the top of the World Rankings!
2019 to 2021: More World Tour Success, World Championship Defense, and the Tokyo Olympics
Between 2019 and 2020, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong won eight World Tour titles. Because of their accomplishments, they also qualified for the 2020 Olympics and won silver at the prestigious event.
In 2019, Zheng and Huang went on a three-tournament winning streak. They won the 2019 Indonesia Masters, the 2019 All-England, and the 2019 Malaysia Open.
Later that year, Zheng and Huang defended their World Championship titles. At the 2019 BWF World Championships, they defeated Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, winning the tournament for the second consecutive year.
The pair also went on to win the 2019 Indonesia Open and 2019 China Open. In December, Zheng and Huang won their first BWF World Tour Finals title.
Ready for 2020, Zheng and Huang won back-to-back victories at the 2020 Malaysia Masters and the 2020 Indonesia Masters. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic stifled the duo’s momentum.
Because of event bans, Zheng and Huang couldn’t play in 2020. Luckily, events resumed in 2021 — and the duo’s first event back was the rescheduled 2020 Olympics.
At the 2020 Olympics, Zheng and Huang made it to the finals where they faced their compatriots Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dong Ping. The finals match was close as both teams won one game each. Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dong Ping won the third match, meaning Zheng and Huang had to settle for the Olympic silver medal.
2022 to 2023: Third World Championship Title and Second Reign as World Number One
Badminton events resumed in full swing in 2022, much to the delight of shuttlers and fans worldwide. For Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong, it meant more opportunities to bag titles — which they did.
In 2022, Zheng and Huang went on a tear of the World Tour circuit, capturing another eight titles. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Zheng and Huang bagged their first Asian Championship title in 2022 — a title that eluded them on two occasions.
Zheng and Huang’s accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed. As of February 7, 2023, they rose to the top of the World Rankings for the second time in their careers!
The Sky’s the Limit for Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong
Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong are accomplishing what many mixed doubles teams can only dream of, and from the looks of it, they’re not stopping anytime soon.
The sky’s the limit for this unstoppable mixed doubles pair. Will they hold on to their momentum?
Time will tell.
In the meantime, keep your eyes glued to this dominant mixed doubles duo!
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