Akane Yamaguchi turns 23: Have a look at her Journey


Akane Yamaguchi turns 23: Have a look at her Journey

Akane Yamaguchi


Shy, Short stature, Boy cut, Baggy shorts, Nimble feet, and a poker face. She has a solid defense and can retrieve shots many players would not even think of. She is the world number 3 and former numero uno, Akane Yamaguchi from Japan.

Akane Yamaguchi picked up the badminton racquet at a very young age, influenced by her brothers who played the sport. Born in Katsuyama, Fukui, little Yamaguchi learned by observing coaches and older players. She also played practice matches against older and better players. When she lost games against them she’d cry her way back home. Nevertheless, her desire to get better and stronger as a player was greater than her disappointment in losing games. She loved the sport, enjoyed being on the court, and has worked very hard to hone her skills.

She was just 13 years old when she won the national junior championship in 2010. When she made her debut on the international circuit, she was a part of the Japanese National team and also just a high school student. Her International debut was in Osaka International Challenge 2012 when she was 15 years old.

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In the same year, she represented her country in the Asian Junior Championships held in Korea. She reached the semi-finals, settling for a bronze medal after losing to her compatriot Nozomi Okuhara. The Japanese prodigy made it to the finals of the BWF World Junior Championships three years in a row, winning gold in 2013 and 2014 and silver in 2012.

Making waves in the international circuit, beating compatriot Shizuka Uchida in the final of the 2013 Japan Open Super Series, she became the youngest-ever player to win a BWF Super Series title. She was just 16 years and three months old. It was a historic victory as she ended Japan’s 32-year-long wait for the first home title in the women’s singles category. In the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, Nanjing, the first-seeded Japanese settled for silver after losing to He Bingjiao in the final.

“Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year” was awarded to her twice in 2013 and 2014. The young girl’s second Super Series final came a few months after Nanjing 2014, at The China Open where she lost to Saina Nehwal. In 2015, Akane Yamaguchi made her way to the Sudirman Cup team, where they finished as runner-up.

Her achievements at such a young age have been phenomenal. Her transition from the junior to the senior circuit has been a fabulous journey. A prodigious player as she was in her junior days, she kept up the momentum in the senior circuit as well. Those watching her on the court would agree, under the shy, calm, poker face lays an aggressive beast that is ready to kill it all on the court.

Her game does the talking. Fans wait to catch an expression of celebration on her face post-match or the lack of it. All she does is give a shy smile, nod her head, and humbly greet the opponents, and match officials and hug her coaches. It would be a day to remember when she would be seen with verbal celebrations or display of extreme emotions during play.

2016 was a year to remember for the then-19-year-old lad. The first of the year was bumpy; however, going ahead towards the Rio Olympics, her first Olympics, and her performance was improving. At Rio she lost in the quarterfinals to fellow mate Nozomi Okuhara who went on to win the bronze medal. She went on to win back-to-back titles at the Korea Open and Denmark Open, consistently being in the top 10 of the world rankings, sending out a message that she’s back in the circuit and is here to win.

Her fiery form continued in 2017, when she won the German Open Grand Prix Gold title, represented Japan at the 2017 Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, and contributed to the country’s first mixed team championship title. She won her fourth Super Series title at the China Open where Gao Fangje of China was swept off her feet in the finals. The Japanese also made it to the finals of the Australia Open, Denmark Open, and French Open Super Series.

Her progress in the World Championship where she was the first seed was cut short by Chen Yufei who eliminated her in hard-fought straight sets in the round of 16. The year ended on a high note for the Japanese, clinching the Super Series Finals title in Dubai. She’d only lost to the lanky Indian PV Sindhu in the group stage. This loss, she avenged in the final where she was up against her again, beating her in an hour and 34 minutes of absolutely mesmerizing badminton.

In the 2018 All England Open she lost to Tai Tzu Ying in the women’s singles final. It was the 19th of April 2018, when Yamaguchi created history by becoming the first Japanese person to become the top-ranked singles player in the world. For this achievement, she was duly awarded the “Honorary Citizen Award” by the mayor of Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture (her hometown) on 1 May 2018. In the 2018 World Championships, in Nanjing, she finished as a semi-finalist.

The Japanese ace’s first title of 2019 came in the third tournament she participated in the German Open. She has won a hat trick at the German Open winning it in 2017, 2018, and then in 2019. The 2019 final was delightful, where Ratchanok Intanon almost snatched away the title from Akane, in a 70-minute clash. Yamaguchi pulled it away in her favour winning the match 21-16, 14-21, 23-25. She went on to win back to back, her first Indonesia Open title, and won the Japan Open title six years after she won it the first time.

The back-to-back titles ironically put a lot of pressure on her back as she was down due to a back injury after these victories. While just recovering from the injury, she suffered a shock defeat to 32nd-ranked Yeo Jia Min of Singapore in straight sets at the World Championships in Basel. This was a low phase of her career as she made early exits in China, Korea and Denmark. She performed better in the French Open where she reached the semi-finals. She qualified for the World Tour Final, where she made it to the semi-final stage, losing to Chen Yufei. In the group stage too she lost to Chen Yufei but had booked victories against PV Sindhu and He Bingjiao.

After early exits at the Malaysia and Indonesia Masters, 22-year-old Akane clinched her first title of 2020 at the Thailand Masters, beating the young Korean prodigy An Se Young in straight games in the finals. She bowed out of the All-England in the quarter-finals as the Rio Olympic Champion Carolina Marin got the better of her.

Getting to visit different places and playing against a variety of players is something she loves about the BWF World Tour and the hardest part according to her is the jet lag and food issues she faces.

In a sport like badminton where height is an advantage, being just as tall as the badminton net Akane Yamaguchi’s court movement is astoundingly feline fast. One can’t help but wonder “How on earth does she do that.”

Yamaguchi plays a defensive game. She makes up for her shorter reach due to her height with her fast and explosive movements. Yamaguchi is a fit player with good core and lower body strength which enables her to move faster and keep up the pace with her taller opponents. Having a lover center of gravity, she uses it to her full advantage in explosive court movement and defensive play to retrieve difficult shots without going off balance.

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She is a very patient player with great consistency in strokes. She is rarely seen rushing to finish off a rally. She plays consistent strokes, pushes her opponents to the corners of the court, and creates an opening for herself to make the kill. It is also because of her height that she cannot capitalize on opportunities to finish a rally with smashes because of her height as she is at a disadvantage in creating sharp angles. The kind of game she plays is physically demanding, both in terms of strength and stamina which she has worked on to add to her strengths.

Among the youngest players in the international circuit, she has already won numerous titles and marked her name among the best players ever.
She was born on 6 June 1997, in Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan. She turned 23 today.

Happy Birthday Akane Yamaguchi!!