Cover Bas Dechapol Puavaranukroh, a 28-year-old Thai national badminton player and former world number one in mixed doubles.
Bas Dechapol Puavaranukroh, a 28-year-old Thai national badminton player and former world number one in mixed doubles.
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Bas Dechapol Puavaranukroh, a 28-year-old Thai national badminton player and former world number one in mixed doubles, is making a fresh start in his badminton career after changing partners. He's climbed the rankings from world number 201 to world number 3 in just 10 months!
In 2021, Bas Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Popor Sapsiree Taerattanachai made history in the Thai badminton world by becoming the first Thai mixed doubles pair to win the BWF World Championships 2021 and the first pair to gracefully rise to the top of the world rankings.
But when the day comes when the pair decide to go their separate ways and grow, their status at the top... comes to an end. For many athletes, this could be the end of a dream path. But not for Bas Dechapol. Even though he had to start from scratch again, he chose to rise up again with the same goal: to reclaim the throne as the world's number one.
Climbed two hundred ranks to third place in the world
After 28-year-old Bas Dechapol paired up with 26-year-old junior female athlete Fame Supisara Piewsampran, the pair immediately became a new mixed doubles badminton pair to watch. In just the third tournament they played together, they were able to win their first championship, the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024 (BWF World Tour Super 500) in November 2024, at which time they were both ranked 201st in the world.
Bas and Fame then continued their hot form by sweeping five more trophies, including the Syed Modi India International 2024 (BWF World Tour Super 300), the Petronas Malaysia Open 2025 (BWF World Tour Super 1000), one of the year's major tournaments, where they defeated the world's number one pair from China in the final; the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2025 (BWF World Tour Super 300), which was a home title gift to Thai fans; the KFF Singapore Open 2025 (BWF World Tour Super 750) and, most recently, the Li‑Ning China Masters 2025 (BWF World Tour Super 750), which marked the first time in the tournament's 17-year history that the mixed doubles winner was not an athlete from China.
Their outstanding performances in many important events have resulted in the world ranking of mixed doubles athletes (BWF Mixed Doubles Ranking) of the pair jumping from 201st to 3rd in the world (Update: September 2025) within just 10 months and making Bas Dechapol stand at the forefront of the world badminton world once again, along with a new partner, Fame Supisara, who will take the throne of world number one together in the near future.
The starting point of a badminton career
Tatler had an interview with Bas Dechapol at the SCG Badminton Academy on Nang Linchi Road, his usual training and training camp location.
Bas recounts his beginnings at the age of seven, when he was just a child with a passion for sports. He wanted to play any sport he encountered, whether it was football or running. But he eventually settled on badminton because his mother was worried and didn't want him to play a contact sport.
“I played a lot of sports, but ultimately, badminton seemed to suit my personality. There was no contact, no sun exposure, and it was fun to play. At the time, I didn't have any expectations. I didn't set any goals. I didn't have any plans to be on the national team, become a world champion, or be number one in the world. I just enjoyed playing sports and getting some exercise.”
A turning point came at the age of 14 when he was called to train with the SCG Badminton Academy, which is like a boarding school that develops youth badminton players and even national athletes.
“Here, they have a team of coaches and sports scientists who oversee everything from training, sleep, and nutrition to help us develop into better athletes.”
Bas spent years training hard until he was given the opportunity to join the Thai national team and began making a name for himself on the international stage.
“My rise to world number one was truly a result of my dedication to badminton. But at the same time, there were many people behind my success. There was a team that supported me, not just me.
"One thing I've learned from being at the top is that there will always be people watching you, always ready to beat you. We shouldn't think we're good enough. We shouldn't think we're already number one. We need to maintain our form, take care of our bodies, find our strengths, and keep improving."
A new beginning with a new partner
Having to start over after one of the most successful periods of his life wasn't something Bas was worried about. He was just thinking about how he could learn from his past experiences and do better.
“I started from scratch and rose to number one in the world. When I thought I had it all figured out, I just had to start over and look at my past experiences to see what I'd encountered and what situations I'd been through. To get to that point, what did I need? What did I need to think about? What did I need to do?
"I don't feel pressured to think that we were once the best in the world and we must always be champions. I think this thinking is wrong. If we expect to win every tournament, it takes our focus away from the game and onto the future, or something else entirely. What we should focus on is knowing what we've practiced and what we've done. Just use what we've practiced and do our best. That's enough."
Of course, the heart of doubles sports is teamwork, so practicing together and building trust between each other will help both pairs play together as best as possible.
“Nothing is more important than the team. Whether we're ahead or behind, or whatever the outcome of the game, teamwork must remain. Even if we lose, it doesn't matter. But our teamwork must return. We must stay strong. Because if we lose… we just have to practice again. But if teamwork breaks down, it's hard to recover.”
Bas revealed that he and Fame talk a lot during practice, even more than during actual competitions on the field.
"During practice, we feel more pressure than during matches, so we talk a lot. When we actually compete, we talk a little bit, and then we can adjust. Mostly, after a match, we discuss our mistakes and remind each other. I try to share some of my experience with Fame, but sometimes I have to let her experience it for herself and gradually adjust (smiles)."
It's time to reclaim the throne.
Back in November 2024, the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024 (BWF World Tour Super 500) tournament, both were ranked 201st in the world. Their first title together after only a short time together was a bright start and a great encouragement for both of them.
“At that time, I felt very happy (smiles). Coming back to win the championship after changing partners, I think everyone must have been confused as well. I didn't even know how far I could come back. At that time, I didn't have any expectations. But from now on, I'll take it step by step. For now, I'm just trying to improve my rankings and then set goals for which matches I want and how many titles I want. It depends on the discussion about how we'll set our goals step by step.
"But as I said, I don't want to expect too much from myself. Once I have expectations, it becomes a pressure, especially from others. I'm not serious about winning. If I lose, I lose. I just do my best in each round and know what I'm doing. That's enough."
Following their success in the Li-Ning China Masters 2025 in mid-September, the "Bas-Fame" pair has increased their accumulated points and officially moved up to third in the world rankings, according to the Badminton World Federation (BWF). This is the highest world ranking for any pairing. It is also their sixth title together and fourth this year.
Bas said that every badminton player has inherent abilities, but what makes one person more successful than others is discipline and mindset.
We asked SCG about the dedication and hard work of this former world number one athlete, and their answer left us with no surprise as to why he was able to bring himself back to the top of the mountain of success so quickly. While many people are relaxing and enjoying their long holidays, Bas is one of the few athletes who begs SCG to let him train, whether during important festivals like Songkran or New Year.
"For me, discipline is the key. This includes keeping to schedule, practicing, and getting enough rest. Another important factor is mindset. I believe that winning or losing depends on your current mindset at the time of the match. What are your thoughts and emotions like, and are they calm enough? These factors greatly impact the quality of your shots."
Badminton, life and pride
Over 20 years of training has made badminton an inseparable part of his life.
“Badminton has become my life. They go hand in hand. We observe how I behave outside the court, and when I actually compete on the court, it follows me.”
The young athlete revealed that he is happy that many athletes are now receiving more attention from the badminton world.
"For example, when View Kulwut won an Olympic medal, it helped increase badminton awareness. That was a good thing. But what needs to be improved from now on is building the next national team to replace the older generation. Having talented young players to continue the development motivates us to continually improve ourselves, to take care of ourselves, and to push ourselves to become even better. Like our experience at the Olympic Games, we learned that it's a stage for those who are truly ready. The most prepared are the ones who will win medals. We may not be the most prepared, but we can just come back and prepare again. In four years, we can keep fighting."
We ended the interview with a question: What does a world-class athlete like him think about every time he steps onto the field? The young man thought for a moment, then replied, "These days, whenever I step onto the field, I look at the Thai flag because I see many Thais in it waiting for me. I want to fight for them, I want to repay them, I want to train hard, I want to give my all, I want to make them all proud (smiles)."
