Koki Watanabe

Kōki Watanabe
Personal information
Born (1999-01-29) 29 January 1999
Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached bySho Sasaki
Men's singles
Career record180 wins, 109 losses (62.28%)
Highest ranking11 (22 October 2024)
Current ranking25 (2 December 2025)
BWF profile
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
Sudirman Cup
2025 Xiamen Mixed team
Asian Games
2022 Hangzhou Men's team
Asia Team Championships
2020 Manila Men's team
2024 Selangor Men's team
World Junior Championships
2015 Lima Boys' singles
2016 Bilbao Mixed team
Asian Junior Championships
2015 Bangkok Mixed team
2016 Bangkok Mixed team

Koki Watanabe (渡邉 航貴, Watanabe Kōki; born 29 January 1999) is a Japanese badminton player.[1] He graduated from the Saitama Sakae High School, and was part of the BIPROGY team since 2017.[2] Watanabe has won a Super 500 title at the Canada Open and was the runner-up in the Super 750 at the Denmark Open.

Career

Watanabe started his badminton career when he was four years old, entered the badminton club under the influence of his sister.[3] He later concentrate his badminton career in the kindergarten, and when he was in the elementary school, he won the Saitama school championships in third consecutive years. Watanabe entered the Saitamasakaechugakko Koto school, and won the singles title at the national junior championships, also placed third in the doubles event.[2][3] He was part of the national junior team that competed at the 2015 and 2016 Asia and World Junior Championships, winning the World boys' singles bronze medal in 2015, he also helped the national team win the 2015, 2016 Asian, also 2016 World Junior bronze medals.[4]

2018–2019

In 2018, Watanabe reached the his first final on the World Tour at the Super 100 Russian Open, where he finished as runner-up.[5] Later that year, he won his first international title at the K & D Graphics International, defeating compatriot Kodai Naraoka in the final.[6]

In 2019, Watanabe secured his first World Tour title at the Super 100 Orléans Masters and won the Osaka International.[7][8] Throughout the season, he advanced to the semifinals of Chinese Taipei Open and the Canada Open, and reached the quarterfinals of the Korea Masters.

2020–2022

In 2020, Watanabe won a bronze medal with the Japanese men's team at the Asia Team Championships.[9] After the international circuit resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic, he made his Super 1000 debut at the 2021 All England Open, where he lost in the first round to Viktor Axelsen.[10] Later that year, he made his World Championships debut in Huelva, advancing to the second round.[11] His best result of the 2022 season was a quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open.

2023

In March, Watanabe won his first World Tour Super 300 title at the Swiss Open. During the tournament, he defeated second seed Lee Zii Jia in the semifinals and Chou Tien-chen in the final.[12] In November, he reached his second final of the season at the Korea Masters, finishing as runner-up to compatriot Kento Momota.[13] Throughout the year, Watanabe also advanced to the quarterfinals at the Spain Masters, Canada Open, Japan Open, Arctic Open, and Japan Masters.

2024

In February, Watanabe won a bronze medal with the Japanese men's team at the Asia Team Championships.[14] On the World Tour, he won his first Super 500 title at the Canada Open, defeating compatriot Kodai Naraoka in the semifinals and Alex Lanier in the final.[15][16] Later in the season, Watanabe advanced to his first Super 750 final at the Denmark Open, where he defeated Olympic silver medalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn before finishing as runner-up to Anders Antonsen.[17][18][19]

Watanabe also reached the semifinals of the Arctic Open and the U.S. Open, and the quarterfinals at the All England Open, China Open, and India Open.[20][21][22] His season included victories over world No. 3 Li Shifeng at the India Open and two wins against Olympic bronze medalist Lee Zii Jia at the China and Arctic Opens.[23][24][25] Following these performances, Watanabe reached a career-high world ranking of 11 on 22 October.

2025

Watanabe faced a challenging start to his 2025 season, experiencing early round exits in tournaments during the first half of the year, including two Super 1000 events at the Malaysia Open and the Indonesia Open. His form improved in July at the Super 750 Japan Open, where he reached the semifinals for the first time at this tournament. En route to the semifinals, he defeated Chou Tien-chen in the second round and Weng Hongyang in the quarterfinals.[26][27] Watanabe credited advice from compatriot Kento Momota, which encouraged him to adopt a "challenger spirit" following a period of poor form.[28][29] Later in the season, he reached the quarterfinals of the Arctic Open and French Open, though he was eliminated in the first round of the World Championships and China Open.[30] In team competition, he won a bronze medal with Japanese team at the Sudirman Cup.[31]

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Result Ref.
BWF Awards 2019 Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year Nominated [32]

Achievements

World Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2015 Centro de Alto Rendimiento de la Videna,
Lima, Peru 		Lu Chia-hung 18–21, 12–21 Bronze [33]

BWF World Tour (3 titles, 3 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[34] 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.[35]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 Russian Open Super 100 Sourabh Verma 21–18, 12–21, 17–21 Runner-up [5]
2019 Orléans Masters Super 100 Thomas Rouxel 18–21, 21–12, 21–19 Winner [7]
2023 Swiss Open Super 300 Chou Tien-chen 22–20, 18–21, 21–12 Winner [36][12]
2023 Korea Masters Super 300 Kento Momota 16–21, 15–21 Runner-up [13]
2024 Canada Open Super 500 Alex Lanier 20–22, 21–17, 21–6 Winner [37]
2024 Denmark Open Super 750 Anders Antonsen 15–21, 16–21 Runner-up [17][18]

BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 Yonex / K&D Graphics International Kodai Naraoka 21–14, 14–21, 21–15 Winner [6][38]
2019 Osaka International Takuma Obayashi 19–21, 21–17, 21–7 Winner [39][8]
  BWF International Challenge tournament

BWF Junior International (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Boys' singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref
2015 Danish Junior Cup Yuta Watanabe 21–12, 18–21, 7–21 Runner-up

Boys' doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2015 Australian Junior International Kenya Mitsuhashi Christian Bernardo
Alvin Morada 		16–21, 21–17, 21–16 Winner
  BWF Junior International Series tournament
  BWF Junior Future Series tournament

References

  1. ^ "Players: Koki Watanabe". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Koki WATANABE | Profile". BIPROGY (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b "もらった応援をうまく力に変えて、東京オリンピック出場を目指します！" (in Japanese). Koshigaya City. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  4. ^ "日本選手は準決勝敗退。銅メダル６個！ 世界ジュニア2015《個人戦》５日目結果" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Sourabh Verma wins Russian Open badminton, beats Koki Watanabe in final". Hindustan Times. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Pan Am Players at Yonex K&D Graphics International Challenge". Badminton Pan America. 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b Anastasiadou-Galva, Despoina (24 March 2019). "Très Bien for Europe in Orléans!". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  8. ^ a b Komiya, Miyuki (8 April 2019). "OSAKA INT'L 2019 – Japan leaves 2 titles for Korea, takes the rest". Badzine. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Malaysian shuttlers beat Japan to reach Asia Team final". New Straits Times. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  10. ^ Sukumar, Dev (24 March 2021). "Review: Triumph in the Face of Challenges". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  11. ^ "Zhao Jun beats Koki Watanabe". International Olympic Committee. 14 December 2021. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  12. ^ a b Binner, Andrew (26 March 2023). "Watanabe Koki wins shock Swiss Open badminton men's singles title". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Korea Masters: Momota breaks dry spell". Badminton World Federation. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  14. ^ Kano, Shintaro (17 February 2024). "Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024: Lee Zii Jia helps Malaysia into final; Japan knocked out of men's and women's events". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  15. ^ "[Canada Open 2024] Koki Watanabe wins his first Super 500 title! Nakanishi and Iwanaga win their fourth title of the season!" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  16. ^ Sukumar, Dev (8 July 2024). "Canada Open: 'dream Come True'". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b Schwager-Patel, Nischal (20 October 2024). "BWF Denmark Open 2024: Home hero Anders Antonsen and Wang Zhi Yi seal badminton titles in style". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  18. ^ a b Pierre, Dianne (21 October 2024). "Denmark Open: Kasper On Board, Anders Makes Spirited Beginning". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  19. ^ Pierre, Dianne (18 October 2024). "Denmark Open: 'I Hope He's Okay'". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  20. ^ de Villiers, Ockert (13 October 2024). "BWF Arctic Open 2024: Chou Tien-Chen sets up men's singles final clash against Jonatan Christie". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 14 October 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  21. ^ "VICTOR China Open 2024". Orléans Masters Badminton. 7 October 2024. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  22. ^ Sukumar, Dev (15 March 2024). "All England: Christo Popov Sets French Milestone". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 12 October 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  23. ^ Mookherjee, Tanmoy (18 January 2024). "India Open: Busanan Shocks Yamaguchi". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  24. ^ Kano, Shintaro (17 September 2024). "BWF China Open 2024: Lee Zii Jia crashes out in first round - and fast". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Arctic Open: Watanabe Ends Lee's Reign". Badminton World Federation. 12 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  26. ^ "[Badminton] Koki Watanabe comes from behind to beat world No. 6 in the second round of the Japan Open men's singles". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 17 July 2025. Archived from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  27. ^ Raftery, Alan (19 July 2025). "Lanier eyeing Japan Open repeat". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  28. ^ Kubo, Marina (18 July 2025). "Japan's third-ranked player, Koki Watanabe, advances to the semi-finals after receiving advice from Kento Momota at the Badminton Japan Open". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  29. ^ "[Japan Open 2025] Koki Watanabe: "Yesterday's tough match had a positive effect. I'm making fewer unnecessary movements." (Quarter-finalist Player Comment #4)". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 18 July 2025. Archived from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  30. ^ Sukumar, Dev (26 August 2025). "Day to Savour for Azerbaijan". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 December 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  31. ^ "Defending champions China power past Japan to reach Sudirman Cup final". New Straits Times. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  32. ^ "Nominees Announced for Player of the Year Awards". Badminton World Federation. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025.
  33. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (14 November 2015). "Historic Singles Finals – Day 5: YONEX BWF World Junior Championships 2015". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  34. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  35. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  36. ^ "Swiss Open: Koki Watanabe Emerges Surprise Winner". Badminton World Federation. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  37. ^ Sukumar, Dev (8 July 2024). "Canada Open dream come true". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Result: 2018 Yonex/K&D Graphics International Challenge" (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  39. ^ "[Osaka International Challenge] Japanese athletes win in three events! Watanabe, Kawakami, Hobara and Sone become champions!" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
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