Akane Yamaguchi

Akane Yamaguchi
Badminton

Career

Akane has been called a badminton prodigy from a very young age. She held a racquet for the first time at the age of three and started playing seriously at the age of five. She joined the Japanese national team at the age of 15, the youngest athlete to ever join. The following year in 2013, she won the singles title at the YONEX Open Japan making her the youngest player and first Japanese athlete to ever win the tournament.

She continued to add titles to her name including the YONEX Denmark Open where she beat London Olympic Gold Medalist, Carolina Marin. In 2018, she became the first Japanese athlete to reach the world No. 1 ranking.

Achievements

  • 2x DAIHATSU YONEX Japan Open Champion (2019, 2022)
  • 2x BWF World Championships Gold Medalist (2021, 2022)
  • 2x BWF World Super Series Finals Champion (2017,2022)
  • 2x YONEX Denmark Open Champion (2016, 2021)
  • 2x YONEX German Open Champion (2017, 2018,2019)
  • 2023 Malaysia Masters Champion
  • 2023 Malaysia Open Champion
  • 2022 YONEX All England Open Champion
  • 2019 Indonesia Open Champion
  • 2018 French Open Champion
  • 2018 FHSBC BWF World Tour Finals Champion
  • 2017 China Open Champion
  • 2016 Korea Open Champion