Koki Watanabe
Japanese badminton player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Koki Watanabe (渡邉 航貴, Watanabe Kōki; born 29 January 1999) is a Japanese badminton player.[1] He graduated from the Saitama Sakae High School, and was part of the BIPROGY team since 2017.[2] Watanabe has won a Super 500 title at the Canada Open and was the runner-up in the Super 750 at the Denmark Open.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 29 January 1999 Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Sho Sasaki | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 190 wins, 121 losses (61.09%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 11 (22 October 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 21 (10 March 2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Watanabe started his badminton career when he was four years old, entered the badminton club under the influence of his sister.[3] He later concentrate his badminton career in the kindergarten, and when he was in the elementary school, he won the Saitama school championships in third consecutive years. Watanabe entered the Saitamasakaechugakko Koto school, and won the singles title at the national junior championships, also placed third in the doubles event.[2][3] He was part of the national junior team that competed at the 2015 and 2016 Asia and World Junior Championships, winning the World boys' singles bronze medal in 2015, he also helped the national team win the 2015, 2016 Asian, also 2016 World Junior bronze medals.[4]
2018–2019
In 2018, Watanabe reached the his first final on the World Tour at the Super 100 Russian Open, where he finished as runner-up.[5] Later that year, he won his first international title at the K & D Graphics International, defeating compatriot Kodai Naraoka in the final.[6]
In 2019, Watanabe secured his first World Tour title at the Super 100 Orléans Masters and won the Osaka International.[7][8] Throughout the season, he advanced to the semifinals of Chinese Taipei Open and the Canada Open, and reached the quarterfinals of the Korea Masters.
2020–2022
In 2020, Watanabe won a bronze medal with the Japanese men's team at the Asia Team Championships.[9] After the international circuit resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic, he made his Super 1000 debut at the 2021 All England Open, where he lost in the first round to Viktor Axelsen.[10] Later that year, he made his World Championships debut in Huelva, advancing to the second round.[11] His best result of the 2022 season was a quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open.
2023
In March, Watanabe won his first World Tour Super 300 title at the Swiss Open. During the tournament, he defeated second seed Lee Zii Jia in the semifinals and Chou Tien-chen in the final.[12] In November, he reached his second final of the season at the Korea Masters, finishing as runner-up to compatriot Kento Momota.[13] Throughout the year, Watanabe also advanced to the quarterfinals at the Spain Masters, Canada Open, Japan Open, Arctic Open, and Japan Masters.
2024
In February, Watanabe won a bronze medal with the Japanese men's team at the Asia Team Championships.[14] On the World Tour, he won his first Super 500 title at the Canada Open, defeating compatriot Kodai Naraoka in the semifinals and Alex Lanier in the final.[15][16] Later in the season, Watanabe advanced to his first Super 750 final at the Denmark Open, where he defeated Olympic silver medalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn before finishing as runner-up to Anders Antonsen.[17][18][19]
Watanabe also reached the semifinals of the Arctic Open and the U.S. Open, and the quarterfinals at the All England Open, China Open, and India Open.[20][21][22] His season included victories over world No. 3 Li Shifeng at the India Open and two wins against Olympic bronze medalist Lee Zii Jia at the China and Arctic Opens.[23][24][25] Following these performances, Watanabe reached a career-high world ranking of 11 on 22 October.
2025
Watanabe faced a challenging start to his 2025 season, experiencing early round exits in tournaments during the first half of the year, including two Super 1000 events at the Malaysia Open and the Indonesia Open. His form improved in July at the Super 750 Japan Open, where he reached the semifinals for the first time at this tournament. En route to the semifinals, he defeated Chou Tien-chen in the second round and Weng Hongyang in the quarterfinals.[26][27] Watanabe credited advice from compatriot Kento Momota, which encouraged him to adopt a "challenger spirit" following a period of poor form.[28][29] Later in the season, he reached the quarterfinals of the Arctic Open and French Open, though he was eliminated in the first round of the World Championships and China Open.[30] In team competition, he won a bronze medal with Japanese team at the Sudirman Cup.[31]
2026
Watanabe was part of the Japanese team that won Japan's first men's team title at the Asia Team Championships.[32]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWF Awards | 2019 | Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year | Nominated | [33] |
Achievements
World Junior Championships
Boys' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Centro de Alto Rendimiento de la Videna, Lima, Peru |
 Lu Chia-hung |
18–21, 12–21 |  Bronze |
[34] |
BWF World Tour (3 titles, 3 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[35] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[36]
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Russian Open | Super 100 |  Sourabh Verma |
21–18, 12–21, 17–21 |  Runner-up |
[5] |
| 2019 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 |  Thomas Rouxel |
18–21, 21–12, 21–19 |  Winner |
[7] |
| 2023 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Chou Tien-chen |
22–20, 18–21, 21–12 | Winner |
[37][12] |
| 2023 | Korea Masters | Super 300 |  Kento Momota |
16–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
[13] |
| 2024 | Canada Open | Super 500 |  Alex Lanier |
20–22, 21–17, 21–6 | Winner |
[38] |
| 2024 | Denmark Open | Super 750 |  Anders Antonsen |
15–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
[17][18] |
BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Yonex / K&D Graphics International | Kodai Naraoka |
21–14, 14–21, 21–15 | Winner |
[6][39] |
| 2019 | Osaka International | Takuma Obayashi |
19–21, 21–17, 21–7 | Winner |
[40][8] |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
BWF Junior International (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Boys' singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Danish Junior Cup | Yuta Watanabe |
21–12, 18–21, 7–21 | Runner-up |
Boys' doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Australian Junior International | Kenya Mitsuhashi |
 Christian Bernardo Alvin Morada |
16–21, 21–17, 21–16 | Winner |
- BWF Junior International Series tournament
- BWF Junior Future Series tournament
