Yuki Fukushima

Early career

Fukushima began playing badminton in the third grade of elementary school, initially training at the club in Yatsushiro City Sakamoto Junior High School.^[9] She later attended Aomori Yamada High School in northern Japan, where she led her team to victory in the 2011 Inter-High School Championships in both women's doubles and the team event.^[9][10]

In 2011, she was selected for the U-19 Japan badminton team,^[11] and participated in the World Junior Championships in Taiwan, reaching the quarter-finals in both girls' singles and girls' doubles with her high school partner Naru Shinoya.^[12] Though she initially competed in singles—reaching the semi-finals of the 2011 Osaka International—her career shifted toward doubles after joining the Renesas (now Saishunkan) corporate team in 2012.^[13] She reached the final of the 2012 Singapore International and won both the women's singles and women's doubles titles at the Sydney International alongside Sayaka Hirota, marking the beginning of their partnership.^[14][15]

2015–2017: World Championships silver medalists

Between 2015 and 2016, Fukushima and Hirota built the foundation for their later international success. They finished as runners-up at the 2015 Osaka International and the New Zealand Open before winning their first Grand Prix title at the Scottish Open.^[16][17][18] In 2016, Fukushima partnered Chiharu Shida for a period, winning the Vietnam International and finishing runner-up at the Spanish International.^[19][20] She and Hirota then reunited to win the 2016 New Zealand Open and the Chinese Taipei Masters.^[21][22]

Fukushima and Hirota's breakthrough came in 2017. The pair won their first title of the year at the German Open,^[23] then claimed their first Superseries title at the Malaysia Open, defeating China's Huang Yaqiong and Tang Jinhua.^[24] They went on to reach the final of the 2017 BWF World Championships in Glasgow, where they won the silver medal.^[25] The Badminton World Federation named the pair Most Improved Player of the Year for 2017,^[5] and they closed the season as runners-up at the Dubai World Superseries Finals.^[26]

2018: 2nd World Championships silver medal, Asian champions, and world #1

Fukushima and Hirota reached the World No. 1 ranking in women's doubles on 21 June 2018.^[3] During the year they won the Asian Championships^[27] along with BWF World Tour titles at the German, Indonesia, Japan, Denmark, and Hong Kong Opens.^{[28][29][30][31][32]} They also finished as runners-up at the All England and Korea Opens, and won the silver medal at the 2018 BWF World Championships.^[33][34][35] Fukushima and Hirota were the only pairing that year to reach the finals of the Uber Cup, the Asian Games team event, and the BWF World Championships.

Fukushima helped Japan win gold at the 2018 Asia Women's Team Championships in Alor Setar.^[36] Japan went on to win the Uber Cup in Bangkok, ending a 37-year title drought.^[7] Fukushima closed the year with a gold medal in the women's team event and a bronze medal in women's doubles at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.^[37][38] Her results that year earned her a nomination for the BWF Female Player of the Year.^[39]

2019: 3rd World Championships silver medal, 2nd Indonesia Open title

Fukushima and Hirota continued as one of the world's leading women's doubles pairs in 2019, winning four BWF World Tour titles: the Malaysia Masters, Australian Open, Fuzhou China Open, and a second consecutive Indonesia Open.^{[40][41][42][43]} Their Australian Open win ended a 19-match winning streak held by China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan against non-Chinese opponents.^[41] The pair also reached the semi-finals or better at most other tournaments they entered that year, including the German, All England, Singapore, and China Opens, the Denmark and French Opens, the World Tour Finals, and the Asian Championships.^[44][45] This consistency earned Fukushima and Hirota a nomination for the 2019 BWF Female Player of the Year, alongside Tai Tzu-ying and Huang Yaqiong.^[46] They also won their third consecutive silver medal at the BWF World Championships.^[47]

2020–2022: All England champion, regain world #1, and Olympic Spirit

Fukushima and Hirota began 2020 by helping Japan defend its title at the Asian Women's Team Championships in Manila, where they won a decisive point in the final against South Korea's Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan in straight games.^[48] They then won the 2020 All England Open.^[49] Despite the disruption to the world tour caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, they also won the 2020 Denmark Open, maintaining their World No. 1 ranking.^[50] In early 2021, they reached the final of the All England Open for a second consecutive year, finishing runners-up to compatriots Matsumoto and Nagahara.^[51] Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Hirota suffered an ACL injury; she competed at the Games with a knee brace, and the pair reached the quarter-finals.^[52][53] They remained part of the Japanese national team at the 2020 Uber Cup (held in 2021), which Japan lost in the final to China to finish with the silver medal.^[54] In 2022, they helped Japan win the bronze medal at the Uber Cup in Bangkok,^[55][56] and reached the final of the Indonesia Open, where they lost a three-game match to Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida.^[57] They also won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships.^[58]

2023–2024: The final years of Fuku-hiro

In 2023, Fukushima and Hirota won the gold medal at the Asian Championships in Dubai.^[59][60] They reached the finals of the Indonesia Masters, Indonesia Open, China Masters, and Swiss Open — where Fukushima suffered a minor injury.^{[61][62][63][64]} Fukushima also played at the Sudirman Cup, where the Japanese team reached the semi-finals,^[65] and won bronze medals at the Asian Games in the women's doubles and team events.^[66][67] In late 2023, Hirota tore the ACL in her left knee during the semi-finals of the Syed Modi International in India, against Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa.^[68]

With Paris Olympic qualification at stake, Hirota delayed surgery to continue competing into 2024. She and Fukushima returned to the court at the French and All England Opens in March, with Hirota wearing a knee brace.^[69] They reached the quarter-finals of the All England Open, but Hirota's injury ultimately prevented the pair from qualifying for the Olympics.^[70] The "Fuku-hiro" partnership ended in September 2024.^[8] While Hirota underwent surgery and began her recovery, Fukushima formed a new partnership with Mayu Matsumoto, debuting at the Japan Masters in Kumamoto, where they finished runners-up.^[71]

2025

In 2025, Fukushima's partnership with Matsumoto was nicknamed "Fuku-matsu" by fans and media. The pair won the Malaysia Open in January and the French Open in October.^[72][73] They also reached the final of the All England Open,^[74] and the semi-finals of the Orléans Masters, Korea Open, Denmark Open, and Japan Masters. At the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, Fukushima and Matsumoto advanced through the group stage and beat Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in the semi-finals before finishing runners-up to South Korea's Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee.^[75] They ended the season ranked fifth in the world.^[76]

World Championships

Women's doubles

More information Year, Venue ...

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2017	Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland	Sayaka Hirota	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	18–21, 21–17, 15–21	Silver	[25]
2018	Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China	Sayaka Hirota	Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara	21–19, 19–21, 20–22	Silver	[35]
2019	St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland	Sayaka Hirota	Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara	11–21, 22–20, 21–23	Silver	[47]

Close

Asian Games

Women's doubles

More information Year, Venue ...

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia	Sayaka Hirota	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	17–21, 8–21	Bronze	[38]
2022	Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China	Sayaka Hirota	Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee	14–21, 12–21	Bronze	[66]

Close

Asian Championships

Women's doubles

More information Year, Venue ...

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Sayaka Hirota	Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi	21–18, 18–21, 21–15	Gold	[27]
2019	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Sayaka Hirota	Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara	16–21, 24–26	Bronze	[45]
2022	Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Metro Manila, Philippines	Sayaka Hirota	Rin Iwanaga Kie Nakanishi	21–16, 15–21, 19–21	Bronze	[58]
2023	Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Sayaka Hirota	Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee	21–7, 21–14	Gold	[60]
2026	Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, Ningbo, China	Mayu Matsumoto	Li Yijing Luo Xumin	17–21, 17–21	Bronze	[78]

Close

BWF World Tour (14 titles, 13 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,^[79] 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.^[80]

Women's doubles

More information Year, Tournament ...

Year	Tournament	Level	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	German Open	Super 300	Sayaka Hirota	Huang Dongping Zheng Yu	18–21, 21–14, 21–6	Winner	[28]
2018	All England Open	Super 1000	Sayaka Hirota	Christinna Pedersen Kamilla Rytter Juhl	19–21, 18–21	Runner-up	[33]
2018	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Sayaka Hirota	Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara	21–14, 16–21, 21–14	Winner	[29]
2018	Japan Open	Super 750	Sayaka Hirota	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	21–15, 21–12	Winner	[30]
2018	Korea Open	Super 500	Sayaka Hirota	Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi	11–21, 18–21	Runner-up	[34]
2018	Denmark Open	Super 750	Sayaka Hirota	Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto	21–19, 21–16	Winner	[31]
2018	Hong Kong Open	Super 500	Sayaka Hirota	Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan	21–18, 21–17	Winner	[32]
2019	Malaysia Masters	Super 500	Sayaka Hirota	Greysia Polii Apriyani Rahayu	18–21, 21–16, 21–16	Winner	[40]
2019	Australian Open	Super 300	Sayaka Hirota	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	21–10, 21–16	Winner	[41]
2019	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Sayaka Hirota	Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi	21–16, 21–18	Winner	[43]
2019	Fuzhou China Open	Super 750	Sayaka Hirota	Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan	21–17, 21–15	Winner	[42]
2020	All England Open	Super 1000	Sayaka Hirota	Du Yue Li Yinhui	21–13, 21–15	Winner	[49]
2020	Denmark Open	Super 750	Sayaka Hirota	Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara	21–10, 16–21, 21–18	Winner	[50]
2021	All England Open	Super 1000	Sayaka Hirota	Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara	18–21, 16–21	Runner-up	[51]
2022	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Sayaka Hirota	Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida	21–18, 14–21, 17–21	Runner-up	[57]
2023	Indonesia Masters	Super 500	Sayaka Hirota	Liu Shengshu Zhang Shuxian	20–22, 19–21	Runner-up	[61]
2023	Swiss Open	Super 300	Sayaka Hirota	Rena Miyaura Ayako Sakuramoto	Walkover	Runner-up	[64]
2023	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Sayaka Hirota	Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee	20–22, 10–21	Runner-up	[62]
2023	China Masters	Super 750	Sayaka Hirota	Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida	18–21, 11–21	Runner-up	[63]
2024	Kumamoto Masters	Super 500	Mayu Matsumoto	Liu Shengshu Tan Ning	15–21, 5–21	Runner-up	[71]
2025	Malaysia Open	Super 1000	Mayu Matsumoto	Jia Yifan Zhang Shuxian	17–21, 21–15, 21–15	Winner	[72]
2025	All England Open	Super 1000	Mayu Matsumoto	Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida	16–21, 21–14, 17–21	Runner-up	[74]
2025	French Open	Super 750	Mayu Matsumoto	Li Yijing Luo Xumin	17–21, 21–18, 21–15	Winner	[73]
2025	BWF World Tour Finals	World Tour Finals	Mayu Matsumoto	Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee	17–21, 11–21	Runner-up	[75]
2026	India Open	Super 750	Mayu Matsumoto	Liu Shengshu Tan Ning	11–21, 18–21	Runner-up	[81]
2026	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Mayu Matsumoto	Liu Shengshu Tan Ning	21–15, 18–21, 21–18	Winner	[82]
2026	China Open	Super 1000	Mayu Matsumoto	Liu Shengshu Tan Ning	14–21, 19–21	Runner-up	[83]

Close

BWF Superseries (1 title, 1 runner-up)

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,^[84] 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.^[85] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.

Women's doubles

More information Year, Tournament ...

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2017	Malaysia Open	Sayaka Hirota	Huang Yaqiong Tang Jinhua	21–17, 18–21, 21–12	Winner	[24]
2017	Dubai World Superseries Finals	Sayaka Hirota	Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto	16–21, 15–21	Runner-up	[26]

Close

  BWF Superseries Finals tournament

  BWF Superseries Premier tournament

BWF Grand Prix (4 titles, 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.

Women's doubles

More information Year, Tournament ...

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2015	New Zealand Open	Sayaka Hirota	Xia Huan Zhong Qianxin	21–17, 22–24, 19–21	Runner-up	[17]
2015	Scottish Open	Sayaka Hirota	Samantha Barning Iris Tabeling	21–14, 14–11 retired	Winner	[18]
2016	New Zealand Open	Sayaka Hirota	Chang Ye-na Lee So-hee	21–13, 21–16	Winner	[21]
2016	Chinese Taipei Masters	Sayaka Hirota	Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto	11–10, 11–5, 11–7	Winner	[22]
2017	German Open	Sayaka Hirota	Huang Dongping Li Yinhui	15–21, 21–17, 21–15	Winner	[23]

Close

  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

  BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 3 runners-up)

Women's singles

More information Year, Tournament ...

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2014	Sydney International	Kana Ito	14–21, 21–13, 19–21	Winner	[15]

Close

Women's doubles

More information Year, Tournament ...

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2012	Singapore International	Yui Miyauchi	Asumi Kugo Megumi Yokoyama	21–12, 16–21, 17–21	Runner-up	[14]
2014	Sydney International	Sayaka Hirota	Sylvina Kurniawan Susan Wang	11–5, 11–5, 11–2	Winner	[15]
2015	Osaka International	Sayaka Hirota	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	17–21, 15–21	Runner-up	[16]
2016	Vietnam International	Chiharu Shida	Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto	28–26, 21–15	Winner	[19]
2016	Spanish International	Chiharu Shida	Sayaka Hirota Nao Ono	14–21, 21–13, 19–21	Runner-up	[20]

Close

  BWF International Challenge tournament

  BWF International Series tournament

National team

• Senior level

Individual competitions

• Senior level