Yugo Kobayashi
Japanese badminton player (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yugo Kobayashi (小林 優吾, Kobayashi Yūgo; born 10 July 1995) is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with Tonami team.[2][3] He was the men's doubles silver medalist at the 2019 World Championships[4] and the men's doubles gold medalist at the 2021 World Championships, being first ever Japanese men's doubles to become world champions.
Career
2025
Kobayashi and Hoki began their 2025 season in April following Kobayashi's recovery from a knee injury.[5] They made their return at the Asian Championships, where they were eliminated in the first round.[6] In May, Kobayashi represented Japan at the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, where the team earned bronze medals.[7] That same month, Kobayashi and Hoki reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters.[8] The pair subsequently advanced to the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open in June and the World Championships in August, followed by a semi-final appearance at the Korea Open in September.[9] In October, Kobayashi and Hoki won their first title of the year at the Super 750 Denmark Open. They defeated the Indian duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the semifinals—their first victory over the pair in six years. They claimed the title by overcoming the Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.[5]
2026
In January, Kobayashi and Hoki, reached the quarter-finals of both the Malaysia Open and the India Open.[10][11] The following month, he was a member of the Japanese squad that secured the nation's first men's team title at the Asia Team Championships in Qingdao.[12] Later in the season, the pair advanced to the second round at the All England Open in March and the Asian Championships in April.[13][14] In April, Kobayashi withdrew from the Japanese squad for the Thomas Cup in Horsens due to an injury.[15]
Achievements
World Championships
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland |
 Takuro Hoki |
 Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan |
23–25, 21–9, 15–21 |  Silver |
[16] |
| 2021 | Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain |
Takuro Hoki |
 He Jiting Tan Qiang |
21–12, 21–18 |  Gold |
[17] |
Asian Championships
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Takuro Hoki |
 Ong Yew Sin Teo Ee Yi |
16–21, 24–26 |  Bronze |
[18] |
BWF World Tour (7 titles, 5 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[19] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tours are divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[20]
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Takuro Hoki |
Hiroyuki Endo Yuta Watanabe |
21–9, 15–21, 10–21 |  Runner-up |
[21] |
| 2021 | Denmark Open | Super 1000 | Takuro Hoki |
 Kim Astrup Anders Skaarup Rasmussen |
21–18, 21–12 |  Winner |
[22] |
| 2021 | Indonesia Masters | Super 750 | Takuro Hoki |
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo |
21–11, 17–21, 21–19 | Winner |
[23] |
| 2021 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Takuro Hoki |
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo |
14–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
[24] |
| 2021 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | Takuro Hoki |
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo |
21–16, 13–21, 21–17 | Winner |
[25] |
| 2022 | Thailand Open | Super 500 | Takuro Hoki |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Rian Ardianto |
13–4r | Winner |
[26] |
| 2022 | Malaysia Open | Super 750 | Takuro Hoki |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Rian Ardianto |
24–22, 16–21, 21–9 | Winner |
[27] |
| 2023 | Singapore Open | Super 750 | Takuro Hoki |
Liang Weikeng Wang Chang |
21–13, 21–18 | Winner |
[28] |
| 2023 | Japan Open | Super 750 | Takuro Hoki |
 Lee Yang Wang Chi-lin |
19–21, 13–21 | Runner-up |
[29] |
| 2023 | Australian Open | Super 500 | Takuro Hoki |
 Kang Min-hyuk Seo Seung-jae |
17–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
[30] |
| 2024 | Japan Masters | Super 500 | Takuro Hoki |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Rian Ardianto |
15–21, 21–17, 17–21 | Runner-up |
[31] |
| 2025 | Denmark Open | Super 750 | Takuro Hoki |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Shohibul Fikri |
21–18, 15–21, 21–19 | Winner |
[5] |
BWF Grand Prix (1 title, 1 runner-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.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | U.S. Open | Takuro Hoki |
Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen |
11–21, 20–22 | Runner-up |
[32] |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | U.S. Open | Wakana Nagahara |
 Robert Mateusiak Nadieżda Zięba |
21–16, 21–18 | Winner |
[32] |
- BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | USA International | Takuro Hoki |
 Adrian Liu Derrick Ng |
21–17, 21–19 | Winner |
[33] |
| 2016 | Spanish International | Takuro Hoki |
Mathias Christiansen David Daugaard |
21–10, 21–6 | Winner |
[34] |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
