BWF World Championships – Tournament Review
20th August 2026 by Robert McLean
It was a tournament of mixed fortunes for Scotland’s top stars at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, with the team once again showing they can compete with the very best players on the biggest stage.
Following an impressive opening-round victory, Matt and Chris Grimley came agonisingly close to producing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets. Facing much-fancied Malaysian pairing Goh and Izzuddin, ranked sixth in the world, the Scottish twins fought back to level the match at one set all.
The Grimleys continued to battle strongly in the deciding set, but ultimately it was the Malaysian pair who held their nerve to secure the victory 21–16 in the third. Despite the narrow defeat, the performance was another clear indication of the level the brothers are capable of reaching against the world’s elite.
In the women’s doubles, Ciara Torrance & Julie MacPherson also faced a tough challenge against Indonesia’s world No.32 pairing Nastine & Meida. The Indonesian pair took the match 21–12, 21–18, but Ciara and Julie battled hard throughout.
In the mixed doubles, Alex Dunn and Julie MacPherson made an excellent start to their campaign, opening with a convincing straight-sets victory over New Zealand’s Lau and Li.
Their next challenge came against Thailand’s world number 15 pairing Teeraratsakul and Taerattanachai. Unfortunately, with the Scots trailing 18–8 in the opening set, Alex was forced to retire through injury.
The injury also meant Alex was unable to continue in the men’s doubles alongside Adam Pringle. Their scheduled match against Indian pairing Shetty and Rankireddy subsequently went down as a walkover in favour of the home pair.
Everyone at Badminton Scotland wishes Alex a speedy recovery, and we hope to see him back on court soon.
While the results may have brought mixed emotions, there were plenty of positives to take from the week. Once again, Scotland’s players demonstrated that they have the ability to compete with the world’s best players and challenge some of the leading names in international badminton.
A huge thank you goes to Coach Robert Blair for his commitment, support and hard work throughout the event.
Now it’s time for a short break before the team heads to Nieuwpoort for the Belgian International, where the next chapter of the season awaits.