Riko Gunji
Japanese badminton player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Riko Gunji (郡司 莉子, Gunji Riko; born 31 July 2002) is a Japanese badminton player.[1] She is the gold medalist at the 2019 BWF World Junior Championships in the girls' singles.
Gunji at the 2023 Kaohsiung Masters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 31 July 2002 Ebina, Kanagawa, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Takako Ida Shōji Satō | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 168 wins, 42 losses (80.00%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 19 (5 August 2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 21 (28 April 2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Gunji was the finalist in the Under-15 at the 2016 Singapore Youth International Series. In the same tournament, she won the girls' doubles title with partner Akari Nakashizu.[2] She was the girls' singles Under-17 champion of 2017 Singapore Youth International Series beating Peeraya Khantaruangsakul of Thailand.[3] She won the bronze medal in 2018 BWF World Junior Championships mixed team event. In the girls' singles, she lost in the second round to China's Wang Zhiyi.
In 2019, she reached the final of Dutch Junior International where she earned second best position after losing to China's Han Qianxi. She lost another final at the India Junior International event to Thai player Benyapa Aimsaard. In 2019 World Junior Championships, she entered the tournament seeded 7th. She went on to stun several higher seeded players in the tournament. She defeated Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan in semifinal, who was a top seeded player in 2 straight games. In the final she won the World Junior title, beating out China's Zhou Meng.[4]
2023
Gunji began the 2023 season by reaching the second round of the Thailand Masters.[5] She then competed in Europe, exiting in the first round of the German Open by then-world No. 2 An Se-young and advanced to the second round of the Swiss Open.[6][7] At the Spain Masters, she retired from her opening match after sustaining a right hamstring muscle tear.[8][9] This injury required a six-month break, causing her world ranking to fall from the 30s to over 100. She returned to competition in, reaching the quarterfinals of the Super 100 Indonesia Masters and finishing as the runner-up at the Super 100 Kaohsiung Masters.[10][11] In late October, Gunji suffered a second injury: a sprained right ankle with partial tears to two ligaments.[12][13]
2024
In 2024, Gunji secured her first BWF World Tour title at the Indonesia Masters Super 100, defeating Hina Akechi in the final.[14] On the BWF International Challenge circuit, she won four titles: the Thailand International, Denmark Challenge, Saipan International, and Malaysia International. Additionally, she was the runner-up at the Luxembourg Open. In other BWF World Tour events, Gunji reached the quarterfinals of the Macau Open and advanced to the second round at the Japan Masters.
2025
Gunji began the 2025 season with a semifinal appearance at the Super 300 German Open, followed by quarterfinal finishes at the Orléans Masters and the Taipei Open.[15][16] In July, she reached her first Super 750 semifinal at the Japan Open, defeating fourth seed Han Yue in the quarterfinals before losing to world No. 1 An Se-young.[17][18] She then competed in her first Super 1000 tournament at the China Open, where she was eliminated in the second round by eventual champion Wang Zhiyi.
2026
Gunji began her 2026 season in January with first-round exits at two consecutive tournaments, the Malaysia Open and the India Open.[19][20] In February, she represented Japan at the Asia Team Championships, where the women's team finished in fifth place.[21] During the European tour in March, Gunji advanced to the second round of the All England Open.[22] She subsequently reached the quarter-finals at two consecutive Super 300 events: the Swiss Open and the Orléans Masters.[23][24] In April, Gunji made her debut at the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China. She defeated Kim Ga-eun in the second round before being eliminated in the quarter-finals by Wang Zhiyi.[25][26]
Achievements
World Junior Championships
Girls' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kazan Gymnastics Center, Kazan, Russia |  Zhou Meng |
21–13, 12–21, 21–14 |  Gold |
[27][28] |
BWF World Tour (1 title, 2 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[29] 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 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[30]
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Indonesia Masters | Super 100 | Gao Fangjie |
10–21, 12–21 |  Runner-up |
[14] |
| 2023 | Kaohsiung Masters | Super 100 |  Liang Ting-yu |
20–22, 21–15, 14–21 | Runner-up |
[11] |
| 2024 (I) | Indonesia Masters | Super 100 |  Hina Akechi |
21–10, 22–20 |  Winner |
[31] |
BWF International Challenge/Series (8 titles, 3 runners-up)
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Belgian International | Hsu Wen-chi |
12–21, 21–16, 23–21 | Winner |
[32][33] |
| 2022 | Mexican International | Natsuki Nidaira |
21–14, 19–21, 21–14 | Winner |
[34] |
| 2022 | Réunion Open | Natsuki Oie |
21–5, 21–14 | Winner |
[35] |
| 2022 (II) | Indonesia International | Gao Fangjie |
9–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |
[36] |
| 2022 | Norwegian International | Natsuki Nidaira |
21–14, 18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
[37] |
| 2022 | Irish Open | Natsuki Nidaira |
21–13, 21–11 | Winner |
[38] |
| 2024 | Thailand International |  Mutiara Ayu Puspitasari |
21–14, 21–15 | Winner |
[39] |
| 2024 | Luxembourg Open | Hina Akechi |
16–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
[40] |
| 2024 | Denmark Challenge | Hina Akechi |
20–22, 21–16, 21–11 | Winner |
[41] |
| 2024 | Saipan International | Asuka Takahashi |
21–14, 14–21, 21–16 | Winner |
[42][43][44] |
| 2024 | Malaysia International | Ruzana |
19–21, 21–15, 21–11 | Winner |
[45] |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
BWF Junior International (2 runners-up)
Girls' singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dutch Junior International | Han Qianxi |
13–21, 21–23 | Runner-up |
[46][47] |
| 2019 | India Junior International |  Benyapa Aimsaard |
19–21, 21–18, 21–23 | Runner-up |
[48] |
- BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
Performance timeline
- Key
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | G | S | B | NH | N/A | DNQ |
National team
- Junior level
| Team events | 2018 | 2019 | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Junior Championships | S | QF | [49] |
| World Junior Championships | B | B | [50] |
- Senior level
Individual competitions
- Junior level
| Events | 2018 | 2019 | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Junior Championships | 1R | A | [55] |
| World Junior Championships | 4R | G | [56][27][57][28] |
- Senior level
| Event | 2026 | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Asian Championships | QF | [26] |
Record against selected opponents
Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 14 April 2026.[65]
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