List of Indians to win major titles in badminton women's singles

These players made India proud on the biggest stages of the sport.

Badminton is one of the most popular sports in India. The sport enjoys a huge fan following across the country. Whether it is men’s or women’s badminton, India has plenty of stars who go head-to-head against the best players from the world. 

In terms of women’s badminton, players like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu are household names and are two of the greatest singles players the sport has seen. They have won several major titles across the BWF World Tour and multi-sport meets such as the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, etc.

It takes a lot of effort and determination to win a major title in the singles category. Historically, apart from Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu, a few more Indian women’s badminton players won them.

List of Indians to win major titles in badminton women’s singles

Gadde Ruthvika Shivani - 1 title

Gadde Ruthvika Shivani has won one major title in the women’s singles category. She won the 2016 Russian Open. It was a BWF Super 100 category tournament before receiving a ban due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Unnati Hooda - 1 title

Unnati Hooda also has one major women’s singles title. She won the 2022 Odisha Open last year. It was the inaugural edition of the BWF Super 100 tournament. Indians won three out of five categories, winning the men’s singles, women’s singles and women’s doubles respectively. The tournament took place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha.

Aparna Popat - 1 title

Aparna Popat won the 1998 French Open, her only major title in the singles category. The tournament is now a BWF Tour Super 750 category which attracts major stars of badminton from all over the globe. However, it was not a major competition back in the 20th century.

The nine-time national champion is the only Indian to ever win the French Open. The Arjuna Awardee is regarded as one of the finest women’s badminton players from India in the singles category.

P.V. Sindhu - 21 titles

P.V. Sindhu has won plenty of major tournaments throughout her career at the junior and senior levels. In terms of major titles consisting of Grade 1 (Olympics, Commonwealth Games, etc,) and Grade 2 tournaments (BWF World Tour, BWF World Tour Finals, BWF Super Series, etc) Sindhu has 21 titles.

She is a class apart and many regard her as the greatest woman sportsperson India has produced. The only woman to win the BWF World Championships from India, she is also a two-time Olympics medal winner, only the second individual Indian athlete to achieve it in consecutive tries.

Saina Nehwal - 23 titles

Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu are in different leagues when it comes to winning international major titles. Saina Nehwal alone has won 23 major titles out of which ten were part of the Grade 2 BWF Super Series category. She is the first Indian woman in badminton player to have won an Olympic medal, reach the final of the BWF World Championships and the first to have won the BWF World Junior Championships.

People regard Saina Nehwal as the inspiration for several budding badminton players in India today. The fans credit her for making the sport popular in India and leading the country with pride on the international front.