Singapore: “View” Kunlavut Vitidsarn, currently ranked as the world No. 2 badminton player, has progressed to the finals of the Singapore Open 2025, positioning himself to become the world’s No. 1 in men’s singles. This achievement marks a historic milestone as he becomes the first male player from Thailand to attain this ranking.

According to Thai News Agency, the Singapore Open 2025, a prestigious World Tour Super 750 tournament, offered a total prize pool of $1,000,000 USD, equivalent to approximately 33 million baht. In the men’s singles semi-finals, Kunlavut, who is also a silver medalist at the “Paris Games 2024” Olympics, secured a 2-0 victory against Taiwan’s Lin Chunyi, the world No. 19, with scores of 21-11 and 25-23. This win ensured Kunlavut’s advancement to the final round and confirmed his rise to the world No. 1 spot. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is set to make the official announcement on Tuesday.

Kunlavut’s ascent to the No. 1 position makes him the first Thai male badminton singles player to achieve this feat. He joins the ranks of other Thai badminton trailblazers such as “May” Ratchanok Intanon, who was the world No. 1 in women’s singles in 2016, and the mixed doubles pair “Bas” Dechapol Puavaranukroh and “Popor” Sapsiree Taerattanachai, who claimed the top spot in 2021.

In the upcoming final, Kunlavut will face Lu Kwang-soo, the world No. 15 player from China, with their match scheduled for approximately 3:30 p.m. today.

Additionally, in the mixed doubles final, “Bas” Dechapol Puavaranukroh will team up with “Fame” Supisara Peua-sampran, currently ranked as the world’s 8th pair, to compete against Tang Chun-man and Tzu Ying-shua, the world’s 3rd ranked pair from Hong Kong, at around 1:00 p.m.