# 2021 BWF World Championships – Women's singles

The women's singles tournament of the 2021 BWF World Championships took place from 12 to 19 December 2021 at the Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín at Huelva.
P. V. Sindhu was the defending champion, but she lost to Tai Tzu-Ying in the quarterfinals. This also guaranteed Tai Tzu-Ying's first medal of world championships.

## Seeds

The seeding list is based on the World Rankings of 23 November 2021.

## Draw
### Finals

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Tai Tzu-ying | 21 | 13 | 21 | | | | |
| 8 | He Bingjiao | 17 | 21 | 14 | | | | |
| 8 | He Bingjiao | 17 | 21 | 14 | 1 | Tai Tzu-ying | 14 | 11 |
| | | | | | 2 | Akane Yamaguchi | 21 | 21 |
| | Zhang Yiman | 19 | 19 | | 2 | Akane Yamaguchi | 21 | 21 |
| 2 | Akane Yamaguchi | 21 | 21 | | | | | |

### Top half
#### Section 1

| First Round | First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals |
| | | | | 1 | Tai T-y | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E Kosetskaya | 10 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
| E Kosetskaya | 21 | 21 | | | E Kosetskaya | 10 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
| C Azurmendi | 11 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| C Azurmendi | 11 | 11 | | | | | | | 1 | Tai T-y | 21 | 19 | 21 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | K Gilmour | 10 | 21 | 11 | | | | |
| | | | | 15 | Yeo J M | 15 | 21 | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | K Gilmour | 21 | 8 | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| A Ohori | 19 | 17 | | | K Gilmour | 21 | 8 | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| K Gilmour | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| K Gilmour | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Tai T-y | 21 | 21 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | P. V. Sindhu | 17 | 13 |
| | | | | 6 | P. V. Sindhu | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | M Repiská | 7 | 9 | | | | | | | | | | |
| M Repiská | w | / | o | | M Repiská | 7 | 9 | | | | | | | | | | |
| R Hartawan | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| R Hartawan | | | | | | | | | 6 | P. V. Sindhu | 21 | 21 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 9 | P Chochuwong | 14 | 18 | | | | | |
| | | | | 9 | P Chochuwong | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | L Tan | 13 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Chen H-y | 16 | 19 | | | L Tan | 13 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
| L Tan | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Section 2

| First Round | First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals |
| | | | | 4 | C Marín | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | Han Y | w | / | o | | | | | | | | |
| Nguyễn T L | 16 | 14 | | | Han Y | w | / | o | | | | | | | | |
| Han Y | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Han Y | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | Han Y | 21 | 21 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 10 | M Li | 19 | 19 | | | | |
| | | | | 10 | M Li | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | J D Jakobsen | 19 | 18 | | | | | | | | | |
| K Polikarpova | 13 | 12 | | | J D Jakobsen | 19 | 18 | | | | | | | | | |
| J D Jakobsen | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| J D Jakobsen | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | Han Y | 16 | 18 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | He BJ | 21 | 21 |
| | | | | 8 | He BJ | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | M Batomene | 12 | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| M Batomene | 17 | 21 | 21 | | M Batomene | 12 | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| N Perminova | 21 | 9 | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| N Perminova | 21 | 9 | 16 | | | | | | 8 | He BJ | 21 | 21 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 13 | M Blichfeldt | 13 | 10 | | | | |
| | | | | 13 | M Blichfeldt | 17 | 21 | 22 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | N Yiğit | 21 | 13 | 20 | | | | | | | | |
| N Yiğit | 21 | 21 | | | N Yiğit | 21 | 13 | 20 | | | | | | | | |
| Kisona S | 14 | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half
#### Section 3

| First Round | First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals |
| G M Tunjung | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| L Christophersen | w | / | o | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| L Christophersen | w | / | o | | L Christophersen | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 11 | B Ongbamrungphan | 1$^r$ | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | L Christophersen | 21 | 9 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 7 | R Intanon | 23 | 21 | | | | | | |
| K Kuuba | 11 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | R Intanon | 23 | 21 | | | | | | |
| Yip P Y | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Yip P Y | 21 | 21 | | | Yip P Y | 8 | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 7 | R Intanon | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | R Intanon | 21 | 13 | 15 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Zhang YM | 13 | 21 | 21 |
| A Demirbağ | 10 | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Zhang YM | 13 | 21 | 21 |
| P Chaiwan | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| P Chaiwan | 21 | 21 | | | P Chaiwan | 18 | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 16 | Kim G-e | 21 | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 16 | Kim G-e | 16 | 19 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Zhang YM | 21 | 21 | | | | | | |
| Zhang YM | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | Zhang YM | 21 | 21 | | | | | | |
| Cheung N Y | 10 | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cheung N Y | 10 | 13 | | | Zhang YM | w | / | o | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 3 | N Okuhara | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Section 4

| First Round | First Round | First Round | First Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | Third Round | | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals |
| Vũ T T | 14 | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Y Li | 21 | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Y Li | 21 | 22 | | | Y Li | 7 | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 14 | Wang ZY | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | 14 | Wang ZY | 21 | 20 | 19 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | 5 | An S-y | 17 | 22 | 21 | | | | | | |
| S de Visch Eijbergen | 5 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | An S-y | 17 | 22 | 21 | | | | | | |
| I Wang | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| I Wang | 21 | 21 | | | I Wang | 7 | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 5 | An S-y | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | An S-y | 7 | 21 | 10 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | A Yamaguchi | 21 | 11 | 21 |
| Thet Htar T | 15 | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | A Yamaguchi | 21 | 11 | 21 |
| Pai Y-p | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pai Y-p | 21 | 21 | | | Pai Y-p | 13 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 12 | S Takahashi | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | 12 | S Takahashi | 15 | 18 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | 2 | A Yamaguchi | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | |
| L Kjærsfeldt | 12 | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | A Yamaguchi | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | |
| Qi XF | 21 | 14 | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Qi XF | 21 | 14 | 15 | | L Kjærsfeldt | 13 | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 2 | A Yamaguchi | 21 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | |