Super 1000

The Super 1000, officially the BWF World Tour Super 1000, is the most prestigious of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) “Super” tournament tiers which comprise the professional tennis calendar. Super 1000 titles are among the most coveted in badminton and are attended by thousands of fans who pack into large arenas to cheer on their favourite elite players.

📜 Super 1000 History

From 2007 to 2017, professional badminton events comprised the BWF Super Series, which designated most events as part of either the Super Series or Super Series Premier. In 2018, however, this hierarchy was restructured and became the BWF World Tour, and the Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and Super 100 tour levels were established in place of the Super Series and Super Series Premier.

During the 2018 season only 3 tournaments were designated as Super 1000 events: the All England Open, the China Open, and the Indonesia Open. Since then, a total of 6 tournaments have boasted Super 1000 status, although 2 of these – 2 versions of the Thailand Open – were held only during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Today there are 4 Super 1000 competitions played annually: the original 3, plus the Malaysia Open.

💯 Super 1000 Format & Scoring

The Super 1000 is the highest standard tier of competition within BWF’s professional tournament hierarchy. Super 1000-tier events are therefore only ranked below the Olympic Games, the Sudirman, Thomas, and Uber Cups, the BWF World Tour Finals, and the BWF World Championships in terms of prestige.

Only 4 tournaments currently enjoy Super 1000 status: the All England Open, the China Open, the Indonesia Open, and the Malaysia Open. They do not take place consecutively, but are typically spaced out throughout the season. All 4 tournaments are contested by draws of 32 singles players (men’s singles and women’s singles) or 32 doubles pairs (men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles), who compete across 5 rounds; they usually take place across 5 or 6 days. Super 1000 events currently each award over USD $1.2 million in prize money and winners receive 12,000 BWF ranking points – both totals are more than the amounts offered by lower ranked events.