Akane Yamaguchi

Akane Yamaguchi
Personal information
Birth name	Akane Yamaguchi
Country	Japan
Born	(1997-06-06) June 6, 1997 Fukui Prefecture
Height	5 ft. 2 in.
Weight	121 lb (55 kg)
Handedness	Right
Women's singles
Highest ranking	7 (November,1,2016)
Current ranking	7 (November,1 2016)
Medal record Representing  Japan World Junior Championships 2013 Bangkok Girls' Singles 2014 Alor Setar Girls' Singles 2012 Chiba Girls' Singles Asian Junior Championships 2014 Taipei Girls' Singles 2012 Gimcheon Girls' Singles
BWF profile

Akane Yamaguchi (山口 茜, Yamaguchi Akane, born 6 June 1997 in Fukui Prefecture)^[1] is a female Japanese badminton player who is a singles specialist. She is one of the Japanese teenage prodigies that many people predict to be future elite women's singles competitors. She reached the finals of the BWF World Junior Championships three years in a row, winning silver at the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships in Chiba, Japan and winning the gold twice, once at the 2013 BWF World Junior Championships in Bangkok, Thailand and once at the 2014 BWF World Junior Championships in Alor Setar, Malaysia. At the age of 16 years and 3 months, Yamaguchi became the youngest player ever to win the BWF Super Series tournament by beating her compatriot Shizuka Uchida in the final of 2013 Japan Super Series. This was also the first time ever that a Japanese lady won the home event in the ladies' singles at the Japan Open. This was in fact a historic first ever Japan Open victory for the home country. Then, in 2016, she won her second Super Series title at the Korea Open, beating Sung Ji Hyun, the 5th seed. She then followed that with a win at the Denmark Open held at Odense, making her only the third non-Chinese women singles player to win two consecutive super series. The only other non-Chinese players to do so were Tai Tzu Ying and Tine Baun. On her way to victory at Denmark, she also beat double world champion and olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin in a close three set match as well as her teammate Nozomi Okuhara, who she had never beaten prior to the Olympic games.

Achievements

Year	Tournament	Result	Opponent	Score
2016
	2016 Denmark Open	Winner	Tai Tzu-ying	19-21, 21-14, 21-12
	2016 Korea Open	Winner	Sung Ji-hyun	20-22, 21-15, 21-18
2015
	2015 Bitburger Open	Winner	Busanan Ongbamrungphan	16-21, 21-14, 21-13
	2015 Japan Open	Runner-Up	Nozomi Okuhara	18-21, 12-21
2014
	2014 China Open	Runner-Up	Saina Nehwal	12-21, 20-22
	2014 World Junior Championships	Winner	He Bingjiao	14-21, 21-18, 21-13
	2014 Asian Junior Championships	Winner	Chen Yufei	21-10, 21-15
2013
	2013 World Junior Championships	Winner	Aya Ohori	21-11, 21-13
	2013 Japan Open	Winner	Shizuka Uchida	21-15, 21-19
	2013 New Zealand Open	Runner-Up	Deng Xuan	17-21, 21-18, 20-22
	2013 Osaka International Challenge	Runner-Up	Kaori Imabeppu	20-22, 16-21
2012
	2012 World Junior Championships	Runner-Up	Nozomi Okuhara	12-21, 9-21

References