Alex Vlaar
Alex Christiaan Vlaar is a Bulgarian badminton player. He was born in Lelystad, the Netherlands his parents also playing badminton. His father Chris Vlaar a Dutch rally car driver and badminton coach, his mother Emilia Dimitrova, née Emmy Vlaar, also a coach even played badminton for Bulgaria at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
Born in the Netherlands, Vlaar is a former young Dutch badminton player who first played for the Netherlands team. He participated for the Netherlands at the 2014 BWF World Junior Championships, 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, and the 2015 European Junior Championships in Lubin, Poland. Overall top 10 BWF junior ranking in all, he won several European Ranked Junior tournaments as well in singles, men doubles and mix doubles. In the Netherlands he won several national junior and open titles. He plays team competition at the highest premier Dutch club level, first for BV Almere and now already a few years with Velo badminton from Wateringen with whom he became Dutch team champion in 2016 & 2017.
Vlaar has a double Nationality and he decided to now play on a Bulgarian license to develop his badminton on the highest professional international level. Already in 2016 he became Bulgarian National senior champion in men's doubles with partner Philip Shishov and mixed doubles with partner Petya Nedelcheva. In 2017 he and Philip Shishov successfully defended the National men's doubles title. Alex is now selected for the National team of Bulgaria and together with Bulgarian mixed doubles partner Mariya Mitsova he already was runner-up at the 2016 Croatian International, and won the 2018 Bulgarian Open and the 2018 Bulgarian International.
Achievements
BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 4 runners-up)
Men's doubles| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | Bulgarian International |  Ivan Rusev |  Jaromír Janáček Tomáš Švejda | 19–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2016 | Bulgaria International | Philip Shishov |  Pakin Kuna-Anuvit Natthapat Trinkajee | 19–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2019 | Hellas International | Mariya Mitsova |  Miłosz Bochat Magdalena Świerczyńska | 10–21, 23–21, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2019 | Portugal International | Mariya Mitsova |  Chang Ko-chi Lee Chih-chen | 12–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Bulgarian International | Mariya Mitsova |  Ashith Surya Pranjal Prabhu Chimulkar | 21–15, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2018 | Bulgarian Open | Mariya Mitsova |  Anton Kaisti Inalotta Suutarinen | 21–17, 17–21, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2017 | Bulgarian Open |  Iris Tabeling |  Mathias Thyrri Emilie Aalestrup | 23–21, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2016 | Croatian International | Mariya Mitsova |  Zvonimir Durkinjak Mateja Čiča | 18–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |