Marathon matches at worlds fuels need for scoring format change to 15 points

News

Published on 22 Aug 2026 8:18:03 PM

As Anders Antonsen battled through an epic hour and 42 minutes against Ireland's Nhat Nguyen at the World Championships, badminton's governing body BWF defended its decision to slash match scoring from 21 to 15 points starting next year.

The Danish player's marathon last 16 clash highlighted the physical toll of the current format, with Antonsen surviving another hour-plus decider against France's Toma Junior Popov before finally succumbing to Japan's Kodai Naraoka in just under an hour in the quarter-final on Aug 21.

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Keywords
news, thestartv, the star, marathon, badminton, world championships, anders antonsen, scoring format, 15 points, 21 points, thomas lund, reactions, prolonging careers

Keywords:
news, thestartv, the star, marathon, badminton, world championships, anders antonsen, scoring format, 15 points, 21 points, thomas lund, reactions, prolonging careers