Akane Yamaguchi
Akane Yamaguchi is a Japanese badminton player. She was a three-time world champion who won gold medals in the women's singles at the 2021, 2022 and 2025 World Championships. She was a member of the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won the World Junior Championships in 2013 and 2014, the Asian Junior Championships in 2014, and the Asian Championships in 2019.
At the Asia Team Championships, Yamaguchi helped Japan win by 3–0 in 2017, 2018, and 2020. In 2018, she won the Uber Cup, which Japan had not won for 37 years.
Early life and junior career
Akane Yamaguchi was born in Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan, on 6 June 1997. The youngest of three children, she was introduced to badminton by her two older brothers and first held a racquet at age three. She began playing competitively at five, coached by her father at the local Heisenji Sports Club. Yamaguchi has stated that losses to her brothers motivated her to improve her skills. Diagnosed with asthma as a child, she took swimming lessons until the sixth grade to improve her health and body balance, focusing on backstroke to counter the one-sided bias of badminton. During her childhood, Yamaguchi had limited awareness of Japan's or the world's top players, instead developing her skills by studying examples from local players and coaches.While at Heisenji Elementary School, she was a five-time champion at the National Elementary School ABC Tournament and won the National Elementary School Championship singles title for four consecutive years. At age nine, she was selected for the junior national team. During her time at Katsuyama Minami Junior High, she won both All Japan Junior Championships Newcomers' Division in her first year, followed by the National Junior High School Tournament title in her third year. At age 14, she became the youngest player to compete at the All Japan Championships, though she lost in the first round. In December 2012, at age 15, she became the youngest player ever selected for Japanese national A team.
Despite receiving offers from schools with elite badminton programs, Yamaguchi chose to attend her local Katsuyama High School to play with childhood friends. From 2013 to 2015, she became the first player in the tournament's history to win three consecutive singles titles at the National High School Championships. In 2014, at 17 years and 6 months old, she became the fourth high school student to win the All Japan Championships and the second-youngest winner in the tournament's history, after Nozomi Okuhara. Following her graduation in 2016, she joined the Saishunkan Pharmaceutical badminton team.
Career
2012: International debut
Yamaguchi began her junior international career in 2012. At the Asian Junior Championships, she won a bronze medal in girls' singles and was part of the Japanese team that won the nation's first mixed team title. Later that year, she claimed a silver medal in girls' singles and the mixed team event at the World Junior Championships. She also made her senior international debut that year at the Osaka International.2013: First Super Series title and World Junior champion
In 2013, Yamaguchi won her first Super Series title at the Japan Open. Advancing from the qualifying round, her victory at the age of 16 years, 3 months, and 16 days made her the youngest player ever to win a Super Series event. This win also marked Japan's first title at the Japan Open in any discipline in 32 years and only the second-ever Super Series women's singles title won by a Japanese player. On the junior circuit, Yamaguchi won her first World Junior Championships title, defeating compatriot Aya Ohori in the final. Her other results that year included a gold medal in mixed doubles at the Asian Youth Games, a bronze medal in women's singles at the East Asian Games, and runner-up finishes at both the New Zealand Open and the Osaka International. For her performance throughout the season, Yamaguchi was named the BWF's Most Promising Player of the Year.2014: Junior titles and senior breakthrough
In 2014, Yamaguchi successfully defended her World Junior Championships title and won the Asian Junior Championships. She also contributed to Japan's mixed team bronze medals at both the World and Asian Junior Championships. At the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, she served as the flag-bearer for the Japanese team and earned a silver medal in girls' singles. On the senior circuit, she reached her first Super Series Premier final at the China Open, finishing as runner-up after victories over Wang Shixian and Sun Yu. Her performance qualified her for the season-ending BWF Super Series Finals, where she reached the semifinals. She was also a member of the Japanese team that won the silver medal at the Uber Cup. For the second consecutive year, she was named the BWF's Most Promising Player of the Year.2015: First Grand Prix Gold title
In 2015, Yamaguchi won her first BWF Grand Prix Gold title at the Bitburger Open, where she defeated Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the final. She also finished as the runner-up at the Japan Open Super Series, losing the final to her compatriot Nozomi Okuhara. During the Indonesian Open, she defeated the reigning Olympic champion, Li Xuerui, in the second round. In team competition, she helped Japan win the silver medal at the Sudirman Cup, which marked the country's first-ever silver medal at the event.2016: Olympic debut and two Super Series titles
Yamaguchi made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she was eliminated in the quarterfinals by her compatriot Nozomi Okuhara. Following the Olympics, she won back-to-back Super Series titles at the Korea Open and the Denmark Open. She also helped the Japanese team win a bronze medal at the Uber Cup.2017: Season-ending title and Asian team gold
Yamaguchi won three titles in 2017: the German Open, the China Open, and the season-ending Dubai World Superseries Finals. She also finished as the runner-up at the Asian Championships, the Australian Open, the Denmark Open, and the French Open. At the World Championships, she entered as the top seed but was eliminated in the third round. In team competition, she was part of the squad that won Japan's first Asia Mixed Team Championships title. She concluded the season as the year's highest-earning player, collecting US$261,363 from 15 tournaments.2018: World No. 1 and Uber Cup champion
In 2018, Yamaguchi became the world No. 1 for the first time. That year, she was a member of the Japanese women's team that won gold medals at Asia Team Championships, the Asian Games, and the Uber Cup. The Uber Cup title was Japan's first in 37 years. Individually, she won bronze medals at the World Championships and the Asian Games. On the BWF World Tour, she won two titles: the German Open and the French Open, and finished as the runner-up at the All England Open. She capped off her year with a semifinal finish at the BWF World Tour Finals.2019: Asian Champion and return to World No. 1
In 2019, Yamaguchi became the first Japanese player to win the women's singles title at the Asian Championships. On the World Tour, she secured three titles: the German Open, her first Super 1000 title at the Indonesia Open, and the Japan Open. Her consecutive victories in Indonesia and Japan propelled her back to the World No. 1 ranking on 30 July. She also finished as the runner-up at the Malaysia Open and earned a silver medal with the Japanese team at the Sudirman Cup. The latter half of the season was disrupted by injuries; a lower back injury sustained after the Japan Open limited her preparation for the World Championships, resulting in a second-round exit. She later suffered a right calf injury, forcing her withdrawal from the Korea Open, before ending the season with a semifinal finish at the BWF World Tour Finals.2020–2021: Olympic campaign and first World Championship title
In a 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Yamaguchi's primary achievement was winning the Thailand Masters. In team competition, she was a member of the Japanese team that won the Asian Women's team championship.The following year, in 2021, Yamaguchi competed as the fourth seed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she lost in the quarterfinals to P. V. Sindhu. On the BWF World Tour, she won two consecutive titles at the Denmark Open and the French Open, and finished as the runner-up at the Indonesia Masters. In team competitions, she was a member of the Japanese squad that earned silver medals at both the Sudirman Cup and the Uber Cup. Yamaguchi ended the year by capturing her first world title at the 2021 World Championships in Huelva, after defeating Tai Tzu-ying in the final. With this victory, she became the second Japanese women's singles player to win the World Championships after Nozomi Okuhara.