Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists in the 2013 and 2014 World Championships. Li Xuerui won fourteen Superseries titles, confirming her status as China's second most successful player after Wang Yihan. She reached a career high of no. 1 in the women's singles for 124 weeks. Li graduated with a BA from Huaqiao University.
Career summary Li Xuerui started playing badminton when she was 7 years old. She began playing in local clubs in her hometown in Chongqing. She made her professional debut as a badminton player when she attended the Asia Junior championship which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2008 In 2008, she won a gold medal at the Asian Junior championship, which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2010 In 2010, Li Xuerui won her first Grand Prix Gold title at the Macau Open, in the final she defeated Adrianti Firdasari from Indonesia with a score of 21–18, 21–15.
Li won her first major tournament, the Asian Championships. In the final, she defeated her compatriot, Liu Xin, 21–13, 18–21, 21–19.
2012 In 2012, she repeated her success at the Asian Championships by defeating Wang Yihan with a score of 21–16, 16–21, 21–9.
Li won the prestigious Super Series Premier event title at the All England Open for the first time by beating Wang Yihan in the final with a score of 21–13, 21–19.
She then captured other international titles in India Open, China Open, and Hong Kong Open.
She collected five Super Series titles, including the Super Series Final in Dubai which she won defeating Wang Shixian in the final.
The 2012 season could be said to be the career peak for Li Xuerui. She made her first appearance at the Olympic Games, and on August 5, she won the London Olympic gold medal, in the final she defeated compatriot Wang Yihan with a score of 21–15, 21–23, 21–17.
2013 In 2013, she won a silver medal in the World Championship when she was defeated by Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon in the final with a score of 22–20, 18–21, 14–21.
In the same year, she won three Super Series titles in the Indonesia Open, China Open and the Super Series Final.
2014 In 2014, she reached the World Championships final, then she lost to the Spanish player Carolina Marín with a score of 21–17, 17–21, 18–21.
Li managed to win four Super Series titles including successfully defending her title in Indonesia Open, the other titles were: Japan Open, Malaysia Open, and Denmark Open.
2015 In 2015, Li Xuerui managed to defend her title at the Denmark Open. In the final she defeated P. V. Sindhu of India with a score of 21-19, 21-12.
2016 Summer Olympics: heartbreak and injury issues At the 2016 Summer Olympics women's singles semi-finals, Li Xuerui was defeated by world No. 1 Carolina Marín when she suffered injuries to her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral meniscus. This forced her to withdraw from the bronze medal match against Nozomi Okuhara.
2018: Return to professional badminton Li made her return to professional badminton at the 2017 National Games of China, where she played women's doubles but lost at the group stage. The reason she had played doubles instead of singles was that she was not yet fully recovered. In 2018, she made her return to international women's singles after a hiatus of 600 days at the 2018 Lingshui China Masters, which she won.
2019 In 2019, she played 25 times with 11 wins and 14 losses. She reached the quarter final at the All England Open, but was stopped by the 2017 World Champion from Japan Nozomi Okuhara with a score of 17–21, 14–21. After that, she finished as the runner-up at the New Zealand Open, losing to South Korean youngster An Se-young with a score of 19–21, 15–21.
She lost to Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-18, 20-22, 6-21 at the Australian Open despite leading in the second game. Afterwards, her career witnessed a huge downfall. She competed in Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and China and lost in the first round in all the tournaments. She announced her retirement from the international circuit in the first round match against Sayaka Takahashi in Korea Open on 17 October after trailing in the 2nd game 15-21, 3-11.
Achievements
Olympic Games Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2012 Wembley Arena, London, Great Britain Wang Yihan 21–15, 21–23, 21–17 Gold
World Championships Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2013 Tianhe Sports Center, Guangzhou, China Ratchanok Intanon 20–22, 21–18, 14–21 Silver 2014 Ballerup Super Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark Carolina Marín 21–17, 17–21, 18–21 Silver
Asian Games Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2014 Gyeyang Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea Wang Yihan 21–11, 17–21, 7–21 Silver
Asian Championships Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2010 Siri Fort Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India Liu Xin 21–13, 18–21, 21–19 Gold 2012 Qingdao Sports Centre Conson Stadium, Qingdao, China Wang Yihan 21–16, 16–21, 21–9 Gold 2013 Taipei Arena, Taipei, Taiwan Wang Yihan 15–21, 13–21 Silver 2015 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China Ratchanok Intanon 22–20, 21–23, 12–21 Silver 2016 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China Wang Yihan 14–21, 21–13, 16–21 Silver
World University Championships Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2010 Taipei Gymnasium, Taipei, Chinese Taipei Liu Xin 21–12, 21–14 Gold
Women's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 2010 Taipei Gymnasium, Taipei, Chinese Taipei Liu Xin Cheng Shu Ma Jin Walkover Silver
Asian Junior Championships Girls' singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2008 Stadium Juara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Wang Shixian 22–20, 21–13 Gold
BWF World Tour (4 titles, 1 runner-up) The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, 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 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.
Women's singles Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result 2018 Lingshui China Masters Super 100 Kim Ga-eun 16–21, 21–16, 21–18 Winner 2018 U.S. Open Super 300 Beiwen Zhang 24–26, 21–15, 21–11 Winner 2018 Canada Open Super 100 Sayaka Takahashi 22–20, 15–21, 21–17 Winner 2018 Korea Masters Super 300 Han Yue 21–10, 21–18 Winner 2019 New Zealand Open Super 300 An Se-young 19–21, 15–21 Runner-up
BWF Superseries (14 titles, 10 runners-up) The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries has two levels: Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011, with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.
Women's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2010 French Open Wang Yihan 13–21, 9–21 Runner-up 2011 French Open Wang Xin 15–21, 19–21 Runner-up 2012 All England Open Wang Yihan 21–13, 21–19 Winner 2012 India Open Juliane Schenk 14–21, 21–17, 21–8 Winner 2012 Indonesia Open Saina Nehwal 21–13, 20–22, 19–21 Runner-up 2012 China Open Ratchanok Intanon 21–12, 21–9 Winner 2012 Hong Kong Open Wang Yihan 21–12, 11–3 retired Winner 2012 World Superseries Finals Wang Shixian 21–9, 15–4 retired Winner 2013 Indonesia Open Juliane Schenk 21–16, 18–21, 21–17 Winner 2013 Singapore Open Wang Yihan 18–21, 12–21 Runner-up 2013 China Open Wang Shixian 16–21, 21–17, 21–19 Winner 2013 World Superseries Finals Tai Tzu-ying 21–8, 21–14 Winner 2014 Malaysia Open Wang Shixian 21–16, 21–17 Winner 2014 All England Open Wang Shixian 19–21, 18–21 Runner-up 2014 India Open Wang Shixian 20–22, 19–21 Runner-up 2014 Singapore Open Wang Yihan 11–21, 19–21 Runner-up 2014 Japan Open Tai Tzu-ying 21–16, 21–6 Winner 2014 Indonesia Open Ratchanok Intanon 21–13, 21–13 Winner 2014 Denmark Open Wang Yihan 21–17, 22–20 Winner 2014 French Open Wang Shixian 15–21, 3–8 retired Runner-up 2015 Malaysia Open Carolina Marín 21–19, 19–21, 17–21 Runner-up 2015 Denmark Open P. V. Sindhu 21–19, 21–12 Winner 2015 China Open Saina Nehwal 21–12, 21–15 Winner 2016 India Open Ratchanok Intanon 17–21, 18–21 Runner-up BWF Superseries Finals tournament BWF Superseries Premier tournament BWF Superseries tournament
BWF Grand Prix (6 titles, 2 runners-up) The BWF Grand Prix has two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It is a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007.
Women's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2010 Macau Open Adriyanti Firdasari 21–18, 21–15 Winner 2010 Korea Grand Prix Liu Xin 9–21, 14–21 Runner-up 2011 Thailand Open Jiang Yanjiao 14–21, 21–14, 21–14 Winner 2011 Bitburger Open Yao Jie 21–8, 21–9 Winner 2012 German Open Juliane Schenk 21–19, 21–16 Winner 2015 Chinese Taipei Open Wang Yihan 10–21, 9–21 Runner-up 2016 German Open Wang Shixian 21–14, 21–17 Winner 2016 China Masters Sun Yu 21–16, 19–21, 21–6 Winner BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament BWF Grand Prix tournament
Performance timeline
Singles performance timeline
To avoid confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through 2016 Indonesia Open. Tournament2007200820092010201120122013201420152016SRW–LWin %Summer OlympicsNHANot HeldG6–0Not Held4th4–11 / 2 10–1 91%World ChampionshipsANHAbsent NHS4–1S4–13R1–1NH0 / 3 9–3 75%World Superseries FinalsNHAbsentW5–0W5–0Absent2 / 2 10–0 100%Asian ChampionshipsAbsentG8–0QF2–1G5–0S4–1AS4–1S4–12 / 6 27–4 87%Asian GamesNot HeldANot HeldS3–1Not Held0 / 1 3–1 75%East Asian GamesNot HeldANot HeldANot Held0 / 0 Team CompetitionsUber CupNHANHANHG2–0NHG6–0NHG5–03 / 3 13–0 100%Sudirman CupANHANHANHG3–0NHG3–0NH2 / 2 6–0 100%Asian GamesNot HeldANot HeldG3–0Not Held1 / 1 3–0 100%Uber Cup Asia preliminariesNot HeldS4–0Not HeldA0 / 1 4–0 100%East Asian GamesNot HeldANot HeldANot Held0 / 0 BWF World Superseries PremierAll England OpenAbsent2R1–1W5–01R0–1F4–12R1–1QF2–11 / 6 13–5 72%Malaysia OpenAbsent2R1–1QF2–1AW5–0F4–12R1–11 / 5 13–4 76%Indonesia OpenAbsent2R1–1F4–1W5–0W5–02R1–12R1–12 / 6 17–4 81%Denmark OpenAbsentQF2–1QF2–1QF2–1QF2–1W5–0W5–0A2 / 6 18–4 82%China OpenQ10–1QF3–1SF5–12R1–1SF3–1W5–0W5–0AW5–0A3 / 8 27–5 84%BWF World SuperseriesIndia OpenNHAbsentW5–0AF4–1AF4–11 / 3 14–2 88%Singapore OpenAbsentQF4–1AbsentF4–1F4–1Absent0 / 3 12–3 80%Australian OpenQF2–1SF3–10 / 2 5–2 71%Japan OpenAbsent1R0–1W5–0QF2–1A1 / 3 7–2 78%Korea OpenAbsent1R0–1QF2–11R0–1AQF2–1A0 / 4 4–4 50%French OpenAbsentF4–1F4–1AbsentF4–1QF2–1A0 / 4 14–4 78%Hong Kong OpenAbsentW5–0QF2–1A1R0–1A1 / 3 7–2 78%BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand PrixMalaysia MastersNot HeldQ10–1Absent0 / 1 0–1 0%German OpenAbsentW5–0QF2–1AbsentW5–02 / 3 12–1 92%China MastersAbsent1R1–12R1–11R0–1QF1–1SF3–1AbsentW5–01 / 6 11–5 69%Chinese Taipei OpenAbsentF4–1A0 / 1 4–1 80%U.S. OpenAbsentQF2–1Absent0 / 1 2–1 67%Thailand OpenAbsentNHW5–0AbsentNHAbsent1 / 1 5–0 100%Bitburger OpenAbsent2R1–1W5–0Absent1 / 2 6–1 86% Korea OpenAbsentF4–1SF3–1Absent0 / 2 7–2 78% Macau OpenAbsentQ21–1W5–0SF3–1Absent1 / 3 9–2 82% Career Statistics 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Tournaments Played 1 1 4 9 14 15 14 12 14 10 94Titles 0 0 0 2 2 9 4 6 3 3 29Finals Reached 0 0 0 4 4 11 7 12 6 5 49Overall win–loss 0–1 3–1 7–4 30–7 32–12 58–5 39–10 52–6 36–11 34–7 291–64Win Percentage 0% 75% 64% 81% 73% 92% 80% 90% 77% 83% 81.97%Year End Ranking 146 11 9 1 1 1 3 8
Record against selected opponents Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists.