Beiwen Zhang (simplified Chinese: 张蓓雯; traditional Chinese: 張蓓雯; pinyin: Zhāng Bèiwén; born 12 July 1990) is a Chinese-born American badminton player who is a singles specialist.[1] She won the women's singles title at the 2021 Pan Am Championships and at the 2023 Pan American Games.[2][3]
Zhang was born in China and moved to Singapore at the age of 13 in 2003, under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme,[4] and played with the Singapore National Team until 2012.[4] In 2007, Zhang took up Singapore citizenship.[4]
In 2009, she was part of the Singapore national badminton team, winning a bronze medal at the women's team event of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games.[5] After a one-year break in which she did not play any tournaments at all, in 2013, she came back on her way to reach top level again.
In 2011, her contract with the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) was not renewed reportedly falling out with then-singles head coach Luan Ching.[4]
In 2013, after moving to Las Vegas with her parents, Zhang Beiwen won four international challenge tournaments with singles titles at the Swiss International in Yverdon-les-Bains; the Yonex USA International in Orlando, Florida; the Yonex Welsh International in Cardiff; and the Carlton Irish Open International in Dublin. In 2014, she continued her winning streak for her new country the US, with victories in Peru, the US, Brazil and the Netherlands. She won her first Grand Prix title at the 2014 U.S. Open Grand Prix Gold, then won the 2014 Brazil Open Grand Prix and 2014 Dutch Open Grand Prix.[6]
In 2014, Zhang competed in the Singapore Open and was asked by the SBA to rejoin Singapore national team.[4]
In 2016, Zhang started to compete in the Danish Badminton League, for Vendsyssel Elite Badminton.[7] Zhang reached the final round at a BWF Super Series event, the French Open, for the first time, but finished as the runner-up after losing the final to He Bingjiao of China in straight games.[8] In 2018, she won her first BWF World Tour title at the India Open, defeating host player and defending champion P. V. Sindhu with the score 21–18, 11–21, 22–20 in the final.[9]
In 2021, Zhang competed in her first Pan Am Championships and clinched the women's singles title after beating Rachel Chan of Canada in straight games.[2] On March the same year, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen.[10] She then competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Her bid for a medal was cut short, however, when she suffered an apparent achilles injury during a match against He Bingjiao of China in the round of 16.[11]
Zhang started the 2023 season in Asia by competing in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, and Thailand,where her best performance was entering the quarter-finals in India. Her performance improved on tour in Europe, by being a finalist in the Orléans Masters, semi-finalist in the Swiss Open, and also quarter-finalist in the Spain Masters. She then took part in the Pan Am Championships in Jamaica, and won the women's singles silver medal. Zhang's form picked up in recent months. She finished runner-up at the Taipei Open in June, made the Canada Open semi-finals and reached the Japan Open quarter-finals in July. She then won her first World Tour title in five years in the Australian Open in August, beating Kim Ga-eun in the final.[12] In October, she claimed the gold medal in the women's singles in her debut at the Pan American Games.[3]
Women's singles
Women's singles
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[13] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[14]
Women's singles
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[15] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011.[16] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
Women's singles
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Women's singles
Women's singles
Women's doubles
Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 23 October 2022.[18]