KUCHING: Victor Lai grew up watching badminton’s biggest names write their own chapters in the sport’s history.
Today, he is writing one of his own.
The 21-year-old climbed to a career-high world No. 9 this week, becoming the first Canadian men’s singles player to break into badminton’s top 10 and adding another milestone to a season already filled with historic firsts.
For a country that has long struggled to establish itself among badminton’s traditional powerhouses, the Toronto-born shuttler’s rise represents more than a personal achievement.
It is a breakthrough years in the making.
The latest ranking milestone follows his triumph at the Indonesia Open earlier this month, where Lai became the first Canadian and first athlete from the Pan American region to win a BWF World Tour Super 1000 title.
The Canadian stunned a packed Istora Senayan crowd after defeating Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21–19, 21–8 in the final to secure the biggest title of his career.
The victory capped a remarkable week in Jakarta.
Along the way, Lai defeated four top-20 opponents, including a hard-fought semifinal victory over world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen, before completing his historic run against the home favourite.
At just 21, he also became the youngest men’s singles champion in Super 1000 history.
Yet the Indonesia Open was merely the latest chapter in a journey that has steadily gathered momentum.
Last year, Lai made headlines after becoming the first Canadian shuttler to win a medal at the BWF World Championships.
Competing in Paris, he battled his way to a historic bronze medal, including a memorable comeback victory over former world champion Loh Kean Yew in the quarter-finals before eventually falling to world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the last four.
The breakthrough signalled the arrival of a player capable of competing with the sport’s elite.
His upward trajectory continued throughout 2026.
At the India Open, Lai reached the semi-finals of a Super 750 tournament for the first time after defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu-jen before losing to eventual champion Lin Chun-yi.
A few months later, he delivered another landmark result by reaching the semi-finals of the prestigious All England Open, becoming the first Canadian since Wendy Carter (who was ranked 3 at the time) in 1978 to achieve the feat.
Each result pushed him closer to badminton’s upper echelon.
Now, with a place inside the world’s top 10 secured, Lai has achieved something no Canadian men’s singles player has managed before.
The ranking is not merely a reflection of one tournament or one season, but of a steady rise built on consistency, belief and an ability to perform on the sport’s biggest stages.
For Canadian badminton, the achievement marks another barrier broken.
For Lai, it may simply be the beginning.
At 21 years old, the newest member of badminton’s top 10 appears to have plenty more chapters left to write.
