Feng Yanzhe / Huang Dongping

Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping are the most consistent mixed doubles pair in the world and have been for two years. They are No. 1 on the BWF list of 27 October 2026, ahead of their compatriots Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, and they won their fifth title of the year at the French Open on 25 October. What they have not won together is a world or Olympic title.

Who they are

Huang Dongping, born on 30 April 1995 in Nan’an, Fujian, already has the Olympic gold. She won it at Tokyo 2020 with Wang Yilyu, with whom she was also world No. 1 in 2018 and won the 2018 World Tour Finals. Before mixed doubles took over she was a top-ten women’s doubles player with Li Yinhui.

Feng Yanzhe, born on 13 February 2001 in Tianjin, is six years younger. He and Huang were tried together from October 2022 and became a permanent pair early in 2023. They reached No. 1 on 26 November 2024 and won the 2025 World Tour Finals, beating Jiang and Wei 21-12, 21-17.

How they play

Mixed doubles is the most positional of the five disciplines: the woman at the net, the man behind her, and the rally decided by who gets to play that way first. Feng and Huang are a classic version. Huang has spent most of a decade at the front of the court for China, and her job is to take the shuttle early, kill anything loose and stop the opponents’ woman from doing the same. Feng’s job is to cover everything behind her and keep hitting down.

The thing to watch is the serve and the first two shots. The pair that keeps the net woman at the front after the serve usually wins the rally, and Huang is very good at getting there.

There is a weakness too, and the record shows it. Their 2026 has brought a Super 1000 and three Super 750s, and defeats in the China Open and World Championships finals.

2026 so far

Five titles, three lost finals.

• Malaysia Open, Kuala Lumpur, 6 to 11 January (Super 1000): champions, beating Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin 21-19, 21-19.
• Asian Championships, Ningbo (April): bronze.
• Australian Open (Super 500): champions, beating Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui 21-17, 21-19.
• Japan Open, Tokyo, 14 to 19 July (Super 750): champions, beating Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet 21-14, 14-21, 21-15.
• China Open, Changzhou, 21 to 26 July (Super 1000): final, lost to Guo and Chen 23-25, 22-20, 15-21.
• World Championships, New Delhi, 17 to 23 August: silver, losing the final to Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France 20-22, 21-19, 15-21.
• China Masters, 1 to 6 September (Super 750): champions, beating Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing 21-19, 21-16.
• Denmark Open, Odense, 13 to 18 October (Super 750): final, lost to Jiang and Wei 18-21, 21-8, 16-21.
• French Open, Paris, 20 to 25 October (Super 750): champions, beating Hoo and Lai 21-10, 21-13.

Titles

Title	Level	Year
French Open	Super 750	2026
China Masters	Super 750	2026
Japan Open	Super 750	2026
Australian Open	Super 500	2026
Malaysia Open	Super 1000	2026
BWF World Tour Finals	Finals	2025
China Open	Super 1000	2025
Denmark Open	Super 750	2025
French Open	Super 750	2025
China Open	Super 1000	2024
Asian Championships	Continental	2024

Medals as a pair: World Championships silver (2026), Asian Games bronze (2022), World Tour Finals runner-up (2023). Huang’s earlier record with Wang Yilyu includes Olympic gold (Tokyo 2020), World Championships silver (2018) and bronze (2019, 2022).

What to watch for

A clear lead makes year-end No. 1 very likely. The World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, where they are defending champions, is a chance to end the season with a big title rather than another lost final. The pair with the best recent claim on them is Jiang and Wei, who beat them in Odense.

A world title in 2027 would give this partnership the one thing its record is missing.

Net players in club mixed: get to the front after every serve and stay there. Most club mixed rallies are lost by a net player who drifts back.