The doubles category displays teamwork and skills, it is competitive. Let’s look into the current top 10 men’s doubles badminton players
The men’s doubles category is clearly dominated by Asian players; the following list is based on the updated rankings uploaded by the BWF World Rankings on 22 June 2021.
List of the top 10 men’s doubles badminton players in the world right now
1. Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia)
The current world No.1 pair from Indonesia has a career record of 248 wins, 54 losses. The duo seized the top spot in men’s doubles for the first time in March 2017, due to their victory at the prestigious 2017 All England Open.
Gideon and Sukamuljo were paired together in 2015. Since then have achieved numerous major titles such as; gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games, silver medal at the 2019 Asian Championships. Consecutive champions (2017, 2018) at the All England Open. They also won the 2017 BWF World Superseries Finals tournament held in Dubai.
In 2017, they became the 1st pair in men’s doubles to win seven Superseries titles in a year. They bagged eight World Tour titles each in the year 2018 and 2019. BWF awarded them the “Male Player of the Year” award twice – in 2017 and 2018. Till now, the duo has won an astonishing 17 BWF World Tour titles, 10 BWF Superseries titles, and 2 BWF Grand Prix titles.
2. Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan (Indonesia)
Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan have a career record of 269 wins, 81 losses. They currently occupy the second spot in the men’s doubles world ranking. Their highest ranking was rank 1 for 38 weeks from 21 November 2013 to 13 August 2014.
The partnership was formed in 2012; their major achievements include being named as World Champions on three occasions in 2013, 2015 & 2019. At the 2014 Asian Games, the duo won a gold medal beating the South Korean pair at their homeland. They claimed the silver medal at the 2015 Asian Championships.
They have triumphed at the prestigious All England Open tournament twice, in 2014 and 2019. At the year-end tournaments, they were the champions at the BWF Superseries Finals twice, in 2013 and 2015. Setiawan and Ahsan were victorious at the 2019 BWF World Tour Finals, as they won the title.
The pair reunited in 2018 after they split in 2016 – to focus on their individual careers. After reuniting, they have won several tournaments. Till now, the duo has won 4 BWF World Tour titles, 9 BWF Superseries titles, 1 BWF Grand Prix title, and 1 BWF International Challenge/Series title.
3. Lee Yang/Wang Chi-lin (Chinese Taipei)
The pair are currently ranked 3rd in the world, this is their highest ranking ever. They were paired together in 2019 and have a career record of 79 wins, 27 losses. Their major achievement is they have won the 2020 BWF World Tour Finals, where they defeated the reigning world champions Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan from Indonesia with a score of 21–17, 23–21 in the final.
They won their 1st BWF World Tour title with emerging victorious at Super 300 Spain Masters in 2019. Till now, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin have won 7 BWF World Tour titles.
4. Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe (Japan)
The Japanese duo is currently placed at 4th rank in men’s doubles ranking, this is their highest ever ranking as a pair. Until now their career record is 97 wins, 50 losses. Some of their achievements include winning the gold medal at the 2019 Asian Championships, defeating the top-seeded pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo with the score of 21–18, 21–3 in the final.
They were champions for two consecutive years at the All England Open in 2020 and 2021. At BWF World Tour Finals, the annual year-end tournament, they had reached two finals (2018 & 2019) but couldn’t convert it into a win and had to settle with silver medals.
Till now, Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe have won 4 BWF World Tour titles.
5. Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda (Japan)
Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda have a career record of 266 wins, 136 losses. They are currently ranked 5th in the world in the men’s doubles category. Their highest ranking was 2nd rank which they had reached in January 2017.
They have won two medals at the BWF World Championships, a silver medal in 2018 and a bronze medal in 2017. Overall, the pair achieved 4 medals at the Asian Championships, a bronze medal in 2016, 2017 & 2019, and a silver medal in 2018.
Till now, the duo has won 3 BWF World Tour titles, 2 BWF Superseries titles, 3 BWF Grand Prix titles, and 3 BWF International Challenge/Series titles to see it be in the list of the top 10 men’s doubles badminton players.
Also Read: Top Female Singles Badminton Players In The World
6. Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen (China)
The pair is currently ranked 6th in the world. Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen have a career record of 233 wins, 89 losses. Their highest ranking was world No.1; they occupied the top spot for overall 10 weeks in 2017.
Some of their major achievements include being the 2018 World Champions, consecutive gold medals at the Asian Championships in 2017 and 2018. At the 2018 Asian Games, they won the bronze medal after losing the semifinal match against Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
In 2018, they won the BWF World Tour Finals against Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe with a score of 21–15, 21–11 in the final. Till now, the duo has won 3 BWF World Tour titles, 2 BWF Superseries titles, and 6 BWF Grand Prix titles.
7. Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia)
The current world No.7, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto have a career record of 165 wins, 76 losses. Their highest ever ranking was 5th rank (April 2019).
Their achievements include winning a bronze medal at the 2019 BWF World Championships, where they lost their semifinal match with a score of 16–21, 21–15, 10–21, against their fellow countrymen & eventual champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
They won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, losing the final to another Indonesian pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. Till now, they have won 4 BWF World Tour titles, 1 BWF Grand Prix title, and 4 BWF International Challenge/Series titles.
8. Choi Sol-gyu/Seo Seung-jae (South Korea)
The South Korean pair is currently ranked 8th in the men’s doubles ranking worldwide. They have a career record of 65 wins, 28 losses. The pairs highest ever ranking was 7th rank, they had occupied it on 19 November 2019.
Choi Sol-gyu and Seo Seung-jae won their first-ever BWF World Tour title in 2018 by winning the Super 300 Korea Masters by defeating Po Li-wei and Wang Chi-lin in the final. Till now, the pair has won 3 BWF World Tour titles and 2 BWF International Challenge/Series titles.
9. Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia)
The 9th ranked Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik from Malaysia have a career record of 84 wins, 53 losses. Their highest ever ranking was rank 8th. At the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, they won the gold medal after defeating a pair from Thailand.
The pair hasn’t won any BWF title yet – they have reached several tournaments finals but couldn’t convert it into a win, a perfect example of that would be; in 2019 at the prestigious All England Open they lost the final against Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan despite winning the first game with a margin of 21-11 they lost the next two games. The final score was 21–11, 14–21, 12–21.
10. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (India)
The pair currently ranked 10th in the world has a career record of 97 wins, 61 losses. Their highest ever ranking was rank 7th (November 2019) in the top 10 men’s doubles badminton rankings.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the duo won the silver medal after losing the final against England’s pair of Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have won 2 BWF World Tour titles and 6 BWF International Challenge/Series titles.