United States national badminton team

National badminton team representing the United States of America

United States

Association| USA Badminton (USAB)
Confederation| BPA (Pan America)
President| Fred Teng
BWF ranking
Current ranking| 15  (April 2, 2024)
Highest ranking| 14 (October 6, 2011)
Sudirman Cup
Appearances| 16 (first in 1989)
Best result| Group stage
Thomas Cup
Appearances| 10 (first in 1949)
Best result| Runners-up (1952)
Uber Cup
Appearances| 12 (first in 1957)
Best result| Champions (1957, 1960, 1963)
Pan Am Mixed Team Championships
Appearances| 22 (first in 1977)
Best result|  Champions (2001)
Pan Am Men's Team Championships
Appearances| 5 (first in 2016)
Best result| Runners-up (2018)
Pan Am Women's Team Championships
Appearances| 5 (first in 2016)
Best result|  Champions (2016, 2022)

The United States national badminton team represents the United States in international badminton team competitions.[1] The national team is controlled by the governing body for badminton in the country, USA Badminton. The United States is one of the five founding members of the Badminton Pan America.

The United States achieved immense success from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1952, the men's team were runners-up at the 1952 edition of the Thomas Cup where they lost to Malaya. The woman's team achieved a title hat-trick in the Uber Cup, winning the title three consecutive times from 1957 to 1963.

In individual events, the United States has won 1 gold medal in the BWF World Championships. It was won by Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan in the 2005 edition held in Anaheim, California.

## History

[edit]

See also: Badminton in the United States

Badminton in the United States dates back to the late 19th century. The first American badminton club was formed in New York in 1878. During the 1930s, badminton had become a popular sport in the United States. Establishments such as the YMCA, universities and more all formed badminton clubs and the popularity of the sport began to take growth.[2] The sport was also aided by the support of celebrity participation.

Celebrities such as Bette Davis, Douglas Fairbanks, Dick Powell, and others all participated in the sport, helping badminton gain popularity during the mid-half of the 20th century.

### Men's team

[edit]

The United States competed in the first edition of the Thomas Cup in 1949. The team won bronze after losing 6–3 in the knockout stages to Malaya. American badminton legends Joe Alston and Wynn Rogers helped the team to advanced one step further and reach the final of the 1952 Thomas Cup when they defeated the Indian doubles pair and earned the winning point for the team. In the final of the 1952 Thomas Cup, the team lost to Malaya. After their participation in the 1967 Thomas Cup, the men's team started to show a decline in quality after failing to qualify for the Thomas Cup for almost 4 decades.[3]

In 2004, the team qualified for the 2004 Thomas Cup again after they won the 2004 Pan American Men's Team Championships. The team were eliminated in the wild-card knockout stage thrice in 2004, 2006 and 2010. In 2022, the team finished in 4th place at the 2022 Pan Am Male Badminton Cup.[4][5] The team however still qualified for the 2022 Thomas Cup after the withdrawal of New Zealand.[6] They were placed in Group D with Malaysia, Japan and England.[7][8] The team finished on the bottom of the group and did not advance to the knockout stage.

In the 2024 Pan Am Male Badminton Cup, the team were eliminated in the group stages after losing to Brazil and Mexico in their group.

### Women's team

[edit]

The American women's team triumphed between the 1950s and the 1960s. They were the first to be crowned as Uber Cup champions in 1957. The team, led by stalwarts such as Judy Devlin and Margaret Varner first defeated Canada 7–0 in the qualifying round, then beat India 7–0 in the knockout round. In the final stage, they overcame their Danish opponents and defeated them 6–1 in the final. The team won their second Uber Cup by beating Denmark for a second time. In 1963, the American team won the Uber Cup title for a third time after winning 4–3 against England.[9] In 1966, the team's Uber Cup reign came to an end when they lost 5–2 to Japan in the 1966 Uber Cup final. The women's team also suffered a massive decline after the 1960s and failed to qualify for the Uber Cup for a few years. The team finished third in the 1978 Uber Cup.[10]

In 2006, the team qualified for the Uber Cup once again after failing to qualify for almost 30 years. The team were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stages. In 2022, the women's team won the 2022 Pan Am Female Badminton Cup and qualified for the 2022 Uber Cup.[11] The team finished last in the group.[8] In 2024, the team were runners-up at the 2024 Pan Am Female Badminton Cup. The team lost 3–0 to Canada in the final.

### Mixed team

[edit]

The United States first competed in the 1989 Sudirman Cup. The team were grouped with New Zealand, Finland and Austria in the Group 5 classification group. The team lost 5–0 to New Zealand, then beat Finland and Austria 5–0 to finish in 21st place.[12] In 2001, the team made history by winning their first mixed team title at the 2001 Pan Am Mixed Team Championships after beating Canada in the final. In the 2019 Sudirman Cup, the United States finished in 19th place after defeating Israel in the 19th place tie.[13]

In 2023, the United States reached the final of the 2023 Pan Am Mixed Team Championships but lost 3–0 to Canada.[14]

## Competitive record

[edit]

### Thomas Cup

[edit]

| Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

1949  | First round inter-zone | 3rd
1952  | Runners-up | 2nd
1955  | First round inter-zone | 4th
1958  | First round inter-zone  | 5th
1961  | First round inter-zone | 4th
1964  | Did not qualify
1967  | First round inter-zone  | 5th
1970  | Did not qualify
1973
1976
1979
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004 | Round of 16  | 12th
2006 | Round of 16  | 9th
2008 | Did not qualify
2010
2012 | Group stage  | 10th
2014 | Did not qualify
2016
2018
2020
2022 | Group stage  | 15th
2024 | Did not qualify
2026 | To be determined
2028
2030

### Uber Cup

[edit]

| Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

1957  | Champions | 1st
1960  | Champions | 1st
1963  | Champions | 1st
1966  | Runners-up | 2nd
1969  | First round inter-zone | 4th
1972  | Did not qualify
1975
1978  | Second round inter-zone | 3rd
1981  | Did not qualify
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006 | Round of 16  | 10th
2008 | Round of 16  | 11th
2010 | Group stage  | 11th
2012 | Group stage  | 11th
2014 | Did not qualify
2016 | Group stage  | 11th
2018 | Did not qualify
2020
2022 | Group stage  | 13th
2024 | Group stage  | 11th
2026 | To be determined
2028
2030

### Sudirman Cup

[edit]

| Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

1989 | Group stage  | 21st
1991 | Group stage  | 22nd
1993 | Group stage  | 25th
1995 | Group stage  | 25th
1997 | Group stage  | 24th
1999 | Group stage  | 28th
2001 | Group stage  | 24th
2003 | Group stage  | 20th
2005 | Group stage  | 20th
2007 | Group stage  | 20th
2009 | Group stage  | 20th
2011 | Group stage  | 18th
2013 | Group stage  | 19th
2015 | Group stage  | 18th
2017 | Group stage  | 18th
2019 | Group stage  | 19th
2021 | Did not qualify
2023
2025
2027  | To be determined
2029

### Pan American Team Championships

[edit]

#### Men's team

[edit]

| Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

2016 | Fourth place | 4th
2018 | Runners-up | 2nd
2020 | Third place | 3rd
2022 | Fourth place | 4th
2024 | Group stage  | 5th
2026 | To be determined
2028
2030

#### Women's team

[edit]

| Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

2016 | Champions | 1st
2018 | Runners-up | 2nd
2020 | Runners-up | 2nd
2022 | Champions | 1st
2024 | Runners-up | 2nd
2026 | To be determined
2028
2030

#### Mixed team

[edit]

| Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

1977 | Runners-up | 2nd
1978 | Did not enter
1979 | Runners-up | 2nd
1980 | Runners-up | 2nd
1987 | Third place | 3rd
1989 | Runners-up | 2nd
1991 | Runners-up | 2nd
1993 | Did not enter
1997 | Runners-up | 2nd
2001 | Champions | 1st
2004 | Third place | 3rd
2005 | Runners-up | 2nd
2007 | Runners-up | 2nd
2008 | Third place | 3rd
2009 | Group stage  | 5th
2010 | Runners-up | 2nd
2012 | Runners-up | 2nd
2013 | Runners-up | 2nd
2014 | Runners-up | 2nd
2016 | Group stage  | 5th
2017 | Third place | 3rd
2019 | Runners-up | 2nd
2023 | Runners-up | 2nd
2025 | Runners-up | 2nd
2027 | To be determined
2029

### FISU World University Games

[edit]

See also: Badminton at the FISU World University Games

#### Mixed team

[edit]

Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

2007 | Did not enter
2011
2013 | Group stage  | 18th
2015 | Group stage  | 20th
2017 | Group stage  | 12th
2021 | Quarter-finals  | 8th
2025 | To be determined

### World University Team Championships

[edit]

#### Mixed team

[edit]

Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

2008 | Did not enter
2010
2012
2014 | Group stage  | 15th
2016 | Did not enter
2018 | Group stage  | 14th

**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

## Junior competitive record

[edit]

### Suhandinata Cup

[edit]

See also: BWF World Junior Championships

Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

2000 | Did not enter
2002
2004 | Group stage  | 20th
2006 | Group stage  | 20th
2007 | Group stage  | 16th
2008 | Did not enter
2009
2010 | Group stage  | 20th
2011 | Group stage  | 21st
2012 | Group stage  | 20th
2013 | Group stage  | 27th
2014 | Group stage  | 20th
2015 | Group stage  | 19th
2016 | Group stage  | 14th
2017 | Group stage  | 22nd
2018 | Group stage  | 18th
2019 | Group stage  | 18th
2022 | Quarter-finals | 6th
2023 | Group stage  | 10th
2024 | Quarter-finals | 7th

### Pan American Junior Team Championships

[edit]

See also: Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships

#### Mixed team

[edit]

Year  | Round  | Pos

|
|

1977 | Runners-up | 2nd
1978 | Runners-up | 2nd
1979 | Runners-up | 2nd
1980 | Runners-up | 2nd
1981 | Third place | 3rd
1988 | Runners-up | 2nd
1990 | Runners-up | 2nd
1991 | Did not enter
1992
1994
1996 | Champions | 1st
1998 | Runners-up | 2nd
2000 | Runners-up | 2nd
2002 | Champions | 1st
2004 | Champions | 1st
2006 | Third place | 3rd
2007 | Champions | 1st
2008 | Third place | 3rd
2009 | Champions | 1st
2010 | Champions | 1st
2011 | Fourth place | 4th
2012 | Champions | 1st
2013 | Third place | 3rd
2014 | Champions | 1st
2015 | Champions | 1st
2016 | Third place | 3rd
2017 | Champions | 1st
2018 | Third place | 3rd
2019 | Runners-up | 2nd
2021 | Champions | 1st
2022 | Champions | 1st
2023 | Champions | 1st
2024 | To be determined

**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

## Players

[edit]

### Current squad

[edit]

As of January 2, 2024

#### Men's team

[edit]

Name  | DoB/Age  | Ranking of event

|
|

MS  | MD  | XD
Enrico Asuncion |  (1998-11-08) November 8, 1998 (age 26) | 182  | 228  | –
Adrian Mar |  (2004-09-30) September 30, 2004 (age 20) | 416  | 228  | 736
Vinson Chiu |  (1998-08-08) August 8, 1998 (age 26) | –  | 50  | 31
Joshua Yuan |  (2003-07-25) July 25, 2003 (age 21) | –  | 50  | 539
Howard Shu |  (1990-11-28) November 28, 1990 (age 34) | 76  | –  | –
Patrick Chi |  (2006-04-04) April 4, 2006 (age 19) | 811  | –  | 494
Jacob Zhang |  (2001-06-04) June 4, 2001 (age 23) | 1057  | 383  | –
William Hu |  (2002-03-26) March 26, 2002 (age 23) | 386  | 383  | –
Chen Zhi-yi |  (2004-08-18) August 18, 2004 (age 20) | –  | 65  | 238
Presley Smith |  (2003-07-16) July 16, 2003 (age 21) | –  | 65  | 54

#### Women's team

[edit]

Name  | DoB/Age  | Ranking of event

|
|

WS  | WD  | XD
Beiwen Zhang |  (1990-07-12) July 12, 1990 (age 34) | 9  | –  | –
Iris Wang |  (1994-09-02) September 2, 1994 (age 30) | 44  | –  | –
Lauren Lam  |  (2003-01-15) January 15, 2003 (age 22) | 49  | 44  | –
Natalie Chi |  (2004-10-09) October 9, 2004 (age 20) | 350  | –  | 494
Francesca Corbett |  (2005-06-03) June 3, 2005 (age 19) | 303  | 36  | 238
Allison Lee |  (2005-03-24) March 24, 2005 (age 20) | –  | 36  | 54
Annie Xu |  (1999-10-22) October 22, 1999 (age 25) | –  | 31  | –
Kerry Xu |  (1999-10-22) October 22, 1999 (age 25) | –  | 31  | –
Esther Shi |  (2001-11-07) November 7, 2001 (age 23) | 182  | –  | 241
Jennie Gai |  (2001-02-25) February 25, 2001 (age 24) | 94  | –  | 31

### Previous squads

[edit]

#### Thomas Cup

[edit]

* 1949, 1952, 2012, 2022

#### Uber Cup

[edit]

* 1957, 1960, 1963, 1966, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2022

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2007 Sudirman Cup – Groups" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 21, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
2. ^ "washingtonpost.com: Badminton History". www.washingtonpost.com.
3. ^ BWF: Thomas Cup Archived April 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ "BWF – Pan Am M&F Cup 2022 – Winners". bwf.tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
5. ^ Deporte, Comisión Nacional de Cultura Física y. "México abre actividad continental con bronce en Copa Panamericana de Badminton en Acapulco". gob.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved May 1, 2023.
6. ^ Liu, Fiona (May 4, 2022). "USA Replaces New Zealand in Group D of 2022 Thomas Cup Finals". BadmintonPlanet.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
7. ^ Auto, Hermes (May 4, 2022). "Badminton: New Zealand pull out of Thomas Cup due to Covid, replaced by United States | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
8. ^ a b "Team USA 2022 BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals Recap – USA Badminton". May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
9. ^ "The Historic Journey of the Thomas Cup & Uber Cup | BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals". bwfthomasubercups.bwfbadminton.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
10. ^ BWF: Uber Cup Archived April 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ "Tournament | Pan Am M&F Cup 2022". bwfbadminton.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
12. ^ BWF: Sudirman Cup Archived April 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ "Results | TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup 2019". bwfsudirmancup.bwfbadminton.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
14. ^ "Canada win Pan Am Mixed Team Badminton Championships for 11th straight time with victory over United States". www.insidethegames.biz. February 17, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2023.

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