Sayaka Hirota
Japanese badminton player (born 1994)
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Sayaka Hirota (廣田 彩花, Hirota Sayaka; born 1 August 1994) is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with Gifu Bluvic team.[1][2] She and her partner Yuki Fukushima won the 2017 Most Improved Player of the Year award.[3] Hirota and Fukushima were ranked world No. 1 at the BWF World Ranking on 21 June 2018.[4]
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| Born | 1 August 1994 Kumamoto, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's doubles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 1 (with Yuki Fukushima, 21 June 2018) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 40 (with Ayako Sakuramoto, 4 August 2026) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
2026
Hirota began competing with Ayako Sakuramoto, and the pair reached the quarterfinals of the All England Open in March.[5] Later in the year, the duo advanced to the final of the Super 500 Malaysia Masters, where they finished as runners-up to Chen Fanshutian and Luo Xumin.[6]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWF Awards | 2017 | Most Improved Player of the Year with Yuki Fukushima | Won | [7] |
| 2018 | Female Player of the Year with Yuki Fukushima | Nominated | [8] | |
| 2019 | [9] |
Achievements
World Championships
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland |  Yuki Fukushima |
 Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan |
18–21, 21–17, 15–21 |  Silver |
[10] |
| 2018 | Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China | Yuki Fukushima |
Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara |
21–19, 19–21, 20–22 | Silver |
[11] |
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland | Yuki Fukushima |
Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara |
11–21, 22–20, 21–23 | Silver |
[12] |
Asian Games
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia | Yuki Fukushima |
Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan |
17–21, 8–21 |  Bronze |
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | Yuki Fukushima |
 Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee |
14–21, 12–21 | Bronze |
Asian Championships
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China |
Yuki Fukushima |
Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi |
21–18, 18–21, 21–15 |  Gold |
[13] |
| 2019 | Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China |
Yuki Fukushima |
Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara |
16–21, 24–26 | Bronze |
|
| 2022 | Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Metro Manila, Philippines |
Yuki Fukushima |
Rin Iwanaga Kie Nakanishi |
21–16, 15–21, 19–21 | Bronze |
|
| 2023 | Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Yuki Fukushima |
Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee |
21–7, 21–14 | Gold |
BWF World Tour (11 titles, 9 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[14] 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.[15]
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | German Open | Super 300 | Yuki Fukushima |
Huang Dongping Zheng Yu |
18–21, 21–14, 21–6 |  Winner |
[16] |
| 2018 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima |
 Christinna Pedersen Kamilla Rytter Juhl |
19–21, 18–21 |  Runner-up |
[17] |
| 2018 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima |
Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara |
21–14, 16–21, 21–14 | Winner |
[18] |
| 2018 | Japan Open | Super 750 | Yuki Fukushima |
Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan |
21–15, 21–12 | Winner |
[19] |
| 2018 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Yuki Fukushima |
Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi |
11–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
[20] |
| 2018 | Denmark Open | Super 750 | Yuki Fukushima |
Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto |
21–19, 21–16 | Winner |
[21] |
| 2018 | Hong Kong Open | Super 500 | Yuki Fukushima |
Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan |
21–18, 21–17 | Winner |
[22] |
| 2019 | Malaysia Masters | Super 500 | Yuki Fukushima |
 Greysia Polii Apriyani Rahayu |
18–21, 21–16, 21–16 | Winner |
[23] |
| 2019 | Australian Open | Super 300 | Yuki Fukushima |
Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan |
21–10, 21–16 | Winner |
|
| 2019 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima |
Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi |
21–16, 21–18 | Winner |
|
| 2019 | Fuzhou China Open | Super 750 | Yuki Fukushima |
Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan |
21–17, 21–15 | Winner |
|
| 2020 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima |
Du Yue Li Yinhui |
21–13, 21–15 | Winner |
|
| 2020 | Denmark Open | Super 750 | Yuki Fukushima |
Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara |
21–10, 16–21, 21–18 | Winner |
|
| 2021 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima |
Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara |
18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
|
| 2022 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima |
Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida |
21–18, 14–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
|
| 2023 | Indonesia Masters | Super 500 | Yuki Fukushima |
Liu Shengshu Zhang Shuxian |
20–22, 19–21 | Runner-up |
|
| 2023 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Yuki Fukushima |
Rena Miyaura Ayako Sakuramoto |
Walkover | Runner-up |
[24] |
| 2023 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima |
Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee |
20–22, 10–21 | Runner-up |
[25] |
| 2023 | China Masters | Super 750 | Yuki Fukushima |
Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida |
18–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |
[26] |
| 2026 | Malaysia Masters | Super 500 | Ayako Sakuramoto |
Chen Fanshutian Luo Xumin |
16–21, 23–25 | Runner-up |
[6] |
BWF Superseries (1 title, 2 runners-up)
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[27] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011.[28] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Malaysia Open | Yuki Fukushima |
Huang Yaqiong Tang Jinhua |
21–17, 18–21, 21–12 | Winner |
[29] |
| 2017 | Dubai World Superseries Finals | Yuki Fukushima |
Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto |
16–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
[30] |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Japan Open | Takuro Hoki |
Wang Yilyu Huang Dongping |
13–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
[31][32] |
- BWF Superseries Finals tournament
- BWF Superseries Premier tournament
- BWF Superseries tournament
BWF Grand Prix (4 titles, 1 runners-up)
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | New Zealand Open | Yuki Fukushima |
Xia Huan Zhong Qianxin |
21–17, 22–24, 19–21 | Runner-up |
[33] |
| 2015 | Scottish Open | Yuki Fukushima |
 Samantha Barning Iris Tabeling |
21–14, 14–11 Retired | Winner |
[34] |
| 2016 | New Zealand Open | Yuki Fukushima |
Chang Ye-na Lee So-hee |
21–13, 21–16 | Winner |
[35] |
| 2016 | Chinese Taipei Masters | Yuki Fukushima |
Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto |
11–10, 11–5, 11–7 | Winner |
[36] |
| 2017 | German Open | Yuki Fukushima |
Huang Dongping Li Yinhui |
15–21, 21–17, 21–15 | Winner |
[37] |
- BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
- BWF Grand Prix tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 1 runner-up)
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sydney International | Yuki Fukushima |
Sylvina Kurniawan Susan Wang |
11–5, 11–5, 11–2 | Winner |
[38] |
| 2015 | Osaka International | Yuki Fukushima |
Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan |
17–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
[39] |
| 2016 | Spanish International | Nao Ono |
Yuki Fukushima Chiharu Shida |
21–14, 13–21, 21–19 | Winner |
[40] |
| 2025 | Thailand International | Maiko Kawazoe |
Mio Konegawa An Uesugi |
24–22, 21–17 | Winner |
[41] |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
Performance timeline
- Key
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | G | S | B | NH | N/A | DNQ |
(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
National team
- Senior level
| Team events | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Team Championships | G | NH | G | NH | A | NH | A |
| Asian Games | G | NH | B | NH | |||
| Uber Cup | G | NH | A | NH | B | NH | A |
| Sudirman Cup | NH | S | NH | A | NH | B | NH |
Individual competitions
Senior level
Women's singles
| Tournament | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | Best | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||
| Korea Masters | 1R | A | 1R ('13) | |
| Scottish Open | A | 1R | 1R ('15) | |
| Year-end ranking | 351 | 396 | 337 | 239 |
Women's doubles
| Events | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Championships | 2R | 1R | G | B | NH | B | G | 1R | |
| Asian Games | NH | B | NH | B | NH | ||||
| World Championships | NH | S | S | S | NH | A | w/d | QF | NH |
| Olympic Games | DNQ | NH | QF | NH | DNQ | ||||
| Tournament | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF World Tour | Best | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | ||
| Malaysia Open | A | W | 2R | QF | NH | w/d | 1R | A | W ('17) | ||||||
| India Open | A | 1R | SF | A | NH | A | 2R | A | SF ('17) | ||||||
| Indonesia Masters | A | NH | A | 1R | 2R | A | F | A | F ('23) | ||||||
| German Open | A | 2R | W | W | SF | NH | A | QF | A | W ('17, '18) | |||||
| All England Open | A | QF | F | SF | W | F | 1R | 2R | QF | A | QF | W ('20) | |||
| Swiss Open | A | NH | A | F | A | F ('23) | |||||||||
| Thailand Open | A | NH | A | QF | 2R | w/d | NH | QF | A | QF | QF ('18, '22, '26) | ||||
| w/d | |||||||||||||||
| Malaysia Masters | A | 1R | 1R | QF | A | SF | W | 2R | NH | 2R | QF | A | F | W ('19) | |
| Singapore Open | A | 2R | 1R | A | SF | NH | A | 2R | A | SF ('19) | |||||
| Indonesia Open | A | QF | W | W | NH | A | F | F | A | W ('18, '19) | |||||
| Australian Open | A | SF | A | W | NH | QF | SF | A | W ('19) | ||||||
| Macau Open | A | SF | A | NH | A | SF ('15) | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | A | NH | A | QF | QF ('26) | ||||||||||
| Canada Open | A | NH | A | SF | A | w/d | SF ('23) | ||||||||
| Japan Open | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | SF | W | QF | NH | w/d | SF | A | 2R | W ('18) | ||
| China Open | A | QF | QF | SF | NH | QF | A | 2R | SF ('19) | ||||||
| Taipei Open | A | 2R | A | NH | A | 2R ('15) | |||||||||
| Korea Masters | QF | QF | SF | 1R | A | NH | A | SF ('15) | |||||||
| China Masters | A | QF | A | 2R | W | NH | F | A | Q | W ('19) | |||||
| Vietnam Open | A | 2R | A | NH | A | 2R ('16) | |||||||||
| Arctic Open | N/A | A | Q | ('26) | |||||||||||
| Denmark Open | A | 2R | W | SF | W | A | QF | 1R | A | W ('18, '20) | |||||
| French Open | A | 2R | 2R | SF | NH | A | SF | QF | 2R | A | SF ('19, '22) | ||||
| Hong Kong Open | A | 2R | A | QF | W | 2R | NH | 2R | A | W ('18) | |||||
| Korea Open | A | 2R | F | 2R | NH | A | 2R | A | F ('18) | ||||||
| Japan Masters | NH | 1R | A | 1R | 1R ('23, '25) | ||||||||||
| Syed Modi International | NH | A | NH | A | SF | A | SF ('23) | ||||||||
| BWF Superseries / World Tour Finals |
DNQ | F | DNQ | SF | DNQ | F ('17) | |||||||||
| Chinese Taipei Masters | NH | SF | W | NH | W ('16) | ||||||||||
| New Zealand Open | A | SF | F | W | A | SF | NH | W ('16) | |||||||
| Scottish Open | A | W | A | N/A | NH | N/A | NH | N/A | W ('15) | ||||||
| Year-end ranking | 142 | 61 | 23 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 102 | 285 | 1 | |
| Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Best |
Mixed doubles
| Tournament | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | Best | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | ||
| Australian Open | A | 1R | 1R ('17) | |
| Korea Open | A | QF | QF ('17) | |
| China Open | A | 2R | 2R ('17) | |
| Japan Open | A | F | F ('17) | |
| Denmark Open | A | 2R | 2R ('17) | |
| Hong Kong Open | A | SF | SF ('17) | |
| Chinese Taipei Masters | 1R | A | NH | 1R ('15) |
| Year-end ranking | 734 | 1.159 | 38 | 32 |
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Best |
