15 points, 25 seconds: Is badminton getting too intense?

The Badminton World Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt, saw semifinal matches averaging 39.4 minutes, with a 59-minute three-setter as the longest. The new 15-point format, set to start in December 2027, may result in matches lasting just 17 minutes, but could also extend to an hour due to longer warm-up periods. Women's singles matches may reach a 60-minute mark, while men's doubles, singles, Malaysian women's doubles, and mixed doubles took 47, 41, 41, and 50 minutes respectively.

Indonesian Habibi and Mukti played a thrilling match, winning from three match points down. The new 25-second shot clock, introduced at the Denmark Open, forces players to react quickly, adding to the intensity of the already fast-paced 15-point game.