Lu Guangzu

Chinese shuttler Lu Guangzu is one of the top badminton players in the world right now. Ranked as the world’s No. 10 player at the start of 2023, the badminton ace first rose to prominence when he stormed into his first final at the Lingshui China Masters in 2018. Since then the graceful, talented player has risen through the ranks of the men’s game, defeating Japan’s Minoru Koga 21-15, 21-10 to win the Canada Open in 2018 and beating Zhou Zeqi of China 21-8, 23-21 to clinch victory in the Australian Open in the same year. In 2019 he won a gold medal in the Mixed team event at the Asia Mixed Team Championships, and two years later he sprang a huge surprise in the World Badminton Championships when he knocked out one of the big favourites, fourth-seed Chou Tien-Chen to seal his place in the last 16.

In 2022 Guangzu reached the final of the Australian Open once again, beating the world’s No.2 player Lee Zii Jia on the way. The Chinese badminton ace qualified for the World Tour Finals for the first time despite losing out to compatriot Shi Yuqi in the hard-fought final. Guangzu has continued to hold his own against the world’s best over the last few years, and has now cemented his place in the top ten with a string of impressive performances.