Beiwen Zhang

Born on July 12, 1990, in Anshan, Liaoning, China, Beiwen Zhang began her international badminton career representing Singapore. She moved to Singapore at the age of 13 in 2003 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and gained Singaporean citizenship in 2007. During her time with the Singapore National Team, she earned a bronze medal at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in the women’s team event. Her contract with the Singapore Badminton Association ended in 2011, leading to a break in her competitive playing.

In 2013, Zhang relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, and transitioned to representing the United States. This period marked a significant turning point in her career, as she quickly achieved success. She secured four international challenge tournament titles in her first year representing the U.S., including wins at the Swiss International, USA International, Welsh International, and Irish Open. Her career continued to progress with multiple Grand Prix titles, including the 2014 U.S. Open Grand Prix Gold, 2014 Brazil Open Grand Prix, and 2014 Dutch Open Grand Prix. These early achievements established her presence as a prominent player for the United States.

Zhang’s career highlights include reaching the final of a BWF Super Series event for the first time at the 2016 French Open, where she finished as the runner-up. In 2018, she won her first BWF World Tour title at the India Open, defeating defending champion P. V. Sindhu. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in March 2021 and participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics, though her tournament ended prematurely due to an Achilles injury. Zhang has continued to achieve success, winning the women’s singles title at the 2021 Pan Am Championships and a gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games, further solidifying her status as a top athlete.