The International Badminton Federation (BWF) has informed TV 2 Sport that 26-year-old Zhang Shuxian announced her retirement on 8 October. The Chinese Badminton Association has confirmed this, and she has consequently been removed from the world rankings. However, the federation has failed to disclose the reason for her retirement.
Zhang Shuxian and Jia Yifan played a large number of tournaments this year and most recently competed in the Asian Games; they were also originally registered for the Denmark Open, the French Open, and several other tournaments, and were in contention to qualify for the season finale in December. However, on the updated world rankings released Tuesday, the Chinese women’s doubles pair has suddenly been removed.
Zhang Shuxian has achieved major international success on the BWF World Tour, peaking at a career-high world ranking of No. 2. Initially rising to prominence alongside partner Zheng Yu, her career reached new heights after forming a highly successful partnership with multi-time world champion Jia Yifan.