Watanabe has won multiple junior and professional PSA tournaments and has represented Japan internationally.
Watanabe won her first All-Japan championship in 2017 at just 18 years old - making her the youngest player ever to have done so. She went on to win another 4 consecutive titles, before sitting out the 2023 tournament. She then won the title once again in 2024.[3]
In 2022, she was part of the Japanese team at the 2022 Women's World Team Squash Championships and was voted the MVP for the event after winning all of her six matches.[4]
In 2023, Watanabe became the first Japanese player to achieve a top-20 ranking in the PSA World Rankings, reaching 19th ranking after winning the Women’s Kinetic Orange Ball 30K Challenger event, played in Boynton Beach, Florida.[5]
In January 2025, Watanabe won her 10th PSA title after securing victory in Cleveland's Squash in the Land during the 2024–25 PSA Squash Tour.[6] She beat the 1st, 2nd, and 4th seeded players to achieve this victory.[3]
In March 2025, Watanabe became the first Japanese player to achieve a top-10 PSA World Ranking.[3] In August 2025, Watanabe became the first Japanese squash player to win a gold medal at the world games, after defeating France’s Marie Stephan.[7]
