Akane Yamaguchi

Akane Yamaguchi (山口茜, Yamaguchi Akane, born 6 June 1997) is a Japanese badminton player. She was a two-time world champion who won gold medals in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was a member of the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won the World Junior Championships in 2013 and 2014, the Asian Junior Championships in 2014, and the Asian Championships in 2019.

Akane Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi in 2015
Personal information
Country	Japan
Born	(1997-06-06) 6 June 1997 (age 27)[1][2] Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan[3]
Height	1.56 m (5 ft 1+1⁄2 in)[2]
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Years active	2012–present
Handedness	Right
Women's singles
Career record	475 wins, 153 losses
Highest ranking	1 (19 April 2018)
Current ranking	4 (25 March 2025)
Medal record Women's badminton Representing  Japan World Championships 2021 Huelva Women's singles 2022 Tokyo Women's singles 2018 Nanjing Women's singles 2023 Copenhagen Women's singles Sudirman Cup 2015 Dongguan Mixed team 2019 Nanning Mixed team 2021 Vantaa Mixed team 2017 Gold Coast Mixed team 2023 Suzhou Mixed team Uber Cup 2018 Bangkok Women's team 2014 New Delhi Women's team 2020 Aarhus Women's team 2016 Kunshan Women's team 2022 Bangkok Women's team 2024 Chengdu Women's team Asian Games 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Women's team 2014 Incheon Women's team 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Women's singles 2022 Hangzhou Women's team Asian Championships 2019 Wuhan Women's singles 2017 Wuhan Women's singles 2022 Manila Women's singles 2023 Dubai Women's singles Asia Mixed Team Championships 2017 Ho Chi Minh Mixed team Asia Team Championships 2018 Alor Setar Women's team 2020 Manila Women's team East Asian Games 2013 Tianjin Women's singles 2013 Tianjin Women's team Youth Olympic Games 2014 Nanjing Girls' singles World Junior Championships 2013 Bangkok Girls' singles 2014 Alor Setar Girls' singles 2012 Chiba Girls' singles 2012 Chiba Mixed team 2014 Alor Setar Mixed team Asian Youth Games 2013 Nanjing Mixed doubles Asian Junior Championships 2012 Gimcheon Mixed team 2014 Taipei Girls' singles 2012 Gimcheon Girls' singles 2013 Kota Kinabalu Mixed team 2014 Taipei Mixed team
BWF profile

At the Asia Team Championships, Yamaguchi helped Japan win by 3–0 in 2017, 2018, and 2020. In 2018, she won the Uber Cup, which Japan had not won for 37 years.

Career

2010–2012

Yamaguchi topped Japan's National Junior Championship in 2010.^[4] Her first entry into professional competition took place at Osaka International Challenge in 2012. In July 2012, she represented Japan at the Asian Junior Championships in Gimcheon, South Korea. She reached the semi-finals in the women's singles event and won the bronze medal, losing to Nozomi Okuhara with a score of 19–21 and 9–21.^[5] She was also inducted into Japan's national junior team that won Japan's first junior mixed team title.^[6][7] Yamaguchi reached the finals of the World Junior Championships in the singles event, coming second when she lost to Okuhara again.^[8]

2013

In April 2013, Yamaguchi finished second to Kaori Imabeppu at the Osaka International in the women's singles event with a score of 20–22, 16–21.^[9] She was the women's singles runner-up in the New Zealand Open, a Grand Prix tournament.^[10] She participated in the Japan Open, unseeded. She defeated P. V. Sindhu, the bronze medalist from the 2013 world championships in two straight games in round sixteen.^[11] She also defeated seeded player Tai Tzu-ying in a semi-final, leading to her match-up with her compatriot Shizuka Uchida, whom she beat in the final to become the youngest player to win the BWF Superseries tournament, aged only 16. This was also Japan's first ever victory at the home event since 1981.^[11]

One year after losing the final at the world juniors competition, Yamaguchi won the title by beating her teammate Aya Ohori.^[12][13] While in high school, Yamaguchi won the national badminton competition, competing in the women's singles event. At the 2nd Asian Youth Games held in Nanjing, China in August 2013, where she represented Fukushima Prefectural Tomioka High School, she won the gold medal in mixed doubles.^[14] In October, she represented Japan at the East Asian Games held in Tianjin, China, where she finished third in the women's singles event, losing in three sets to Wang Shixian. After graduating from high school, she joined the Saishunkan Pharmaceutical badminton team.^[15]

Yamaguchi was named the Most Promising Player of the Year by the Badminton World Federation in late 2013^[16] and 2014.^[17]

2014

At the Malaysian Open in January, Yamaguchi defeated reigning world champion Ratchanok Intanon in the first round in three games.^[18] In February, still a teenager, Yamaguchi entered the 2014 Asian Junior Championships as the fourth seed. She won the title by defeating Chen Yufei from China.^[19] She competed at the All England Open in March. She defended her World Junior crown,^[20] winning against Chinese player He Bingjiao in the final round.^[21]

She was part of the Japanese team that won the silver medal at the 2014 Uber Cup.^[22] On 16 August, Yamaguchi served as the flag-bearer for the Japanese team at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.^[23] She was the number one seed in the women's singles event, eventually winning the silver medal.^[24]

At the China Open in November, Yamaguchi defeated top ranked players in two straight games, Wang Shixian, Sun Yu, Bae Yeon-ju and reached the final. She finished as runner-up in the tournament after losing to Saina Nehwal.^[25] She then won the All Japan General Championships in December. At 17 years of age, she was the second-youngest player to win the tournament.

She qualified for participation in the end-of-year championships, the Superseries Finals tournament held in December. She won all of her group matches, against (former champion) Wang Yihan, Ratchanok Intanon and Tai Tzu-ying. She lost in the semi-final against Korean player Sung Ji-hyun.^[26]

2015–2016

In the second round of the Indonesian Open in June, Yamaguchi beat the reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui.^[27] At the Japan Open, where she was the champion two years earlier, Yamaguchi was beaten in the final by Nozomi Okuhara.^[28] In October, she became champion of the Bitburger Open with a victory over Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan.^[29]

In August 2016, Yamaguchi represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was eliminated in the quarter-finals by sixth seed Nozomi Okuhara.^[30] In October, Yamaguchi won her second Superseries title at the Korea Open, beating Sung Ji-hyun.^[31] She followed this with a win at the Denmark Open held at Odense. On her way to victory, Yamaguchi defeated her teammate Okuhara in the quarter-finals and two-time World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Carolina Marín in a close three-set match in the semi-finals.^[32] In the women's singles final, she defeated the No. 2 seed, Tai Tzu-ying, winning the tournament.^[33]

2017

In February 2017, Yamaguchi represented Japan at the Asia Mixed Team Championships held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and helped the team win its first mixed team championship.^[34][35] In the same month, she won the title at the German Open via walkover against Carolina Marín.^[36] In April, she participated in the Asian Championships held in Wuhan, China, losing to Tai Tzu-ying in the final.^[37]

In August, Yamaguchi played in the World Championships in Glasgow. She was the no. 1 seed and had a bye in the first round. She defeated Denmark's Line Kjærsfeldt in the second round, but faced no. 9 seed Chen Yufei in the third round and was defeated 18–21, 19–21.^[38] She was a finalist at the Australian Open where she lost to Nozomi Okuhara.^[39] Afterwards she finished as a finalist in Denmark Open where she lost to Ratchanok Intanon. She was 19–16 up in the decider but her opponent reeled off five straight points and won.^[40]

In October, she played in the French Open and lost the final to the top seed, Tai Tzu-ying in a one-sided match.^[41] Her consistent run continued and she reached the final in the China Open. She defeated her Chinese rival Gao Fangjie by 21–13, 21–15 to win her first title of the year.^[42]

In December, she played in the Dubai World Superseries Finals, defeating Sayaka Sato and He Bingjiao and losing to India's P. V. Sindhu in the group stage. She won the semi-final, defeating Ratchanok Intanon. In the final, Yamaguchi defeated Sindhu, the World Championship runner-up, winning the women's singles championship in the Superseries Finals. Yamaguchi ended the year collecting US$261,363 from 15 tournaments, becoming the highest-paid player of the year.^[43]

2018

In March 2018, Yamaguchi played in the Super 300 German Open tournament. She won the title after defeating the No. 4 seed, China's Chen Yufei, in the final.^[44] She reached her first ever final at the All England Open where she was in the losing side to Tai Tzu-ying.^[45] In April, 20-year-old Yamaguchi ascended to the pinnacle of World rankings, dethroned Tai Tzu-ying as World No. 1 player and ^[46] was awarded the "Honorary Citizen Award" by the mayor of Katsuyama, Japan, on 1 May 2018.^[47] In May, she was selected as the main female singles player for Japan in the Uber Cup, helping the Japanese team regain the women's team championship after 48 years, or 37 years if both genders are considered.^[48][49]

In July, she participated in the World Championships held in Nanjing, China. She was the second seed. In the top four, facing the Olympic runner-up P. V. Sindhu, she lost both games, finishing in third place in the World Championships women's singles.^[50]

In August, she represented Japan in the Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, and helped the Japanese women's team win the gold medal.^[51] In the women's singles semi-finals, facing the tournament's No. 3 seed Olympic runner-up P. V. Sindhu, Yamaguchi lost 1–2, winning the women's singles bronze medal.^[52] In a repeat clash of previous edition's French Open final, Yamaguchi beat the top seeded Tai Tzu-ying in three games, 22–20, 17–21, 21–13. In the process, she avenged her defeat to Tai at the same stage a year earlier.^[53]

2019

In February 2019, Yamaguchi played in the German Open. In the final, she defeated the No. 3 seed Ratchanok Intanon 2–1 to become the Super 300 women's singles champion.^[54] In April, she played in the Malaysia Open, finishing as the runner-up after losing to her arch rival Tai Tzu-ying, 0–2.^[55] She won the Asian Championships.^[56] In the semi-final, she defeated Chen Yufei, the top seed and made it through to the final where she defeated He Bingjiao, winning her first such title and becoming the first Japanese Women's singles player to do so.^[57]

In July, she won the Japan Open, her second Japan Open title since her first six years prior.^[58] That same month, she won a match against Taiwanese competitor Tai Tzu-ying, the highest-ranked player in the world, placing her in the finals of her first Indonesia Open. She outlasted P. V. Sindhu in the final round and bagged her first Super 1000 title.^[59] In August, Yamaguchi suffered AN injury and was defeated in the second round of the 2019 BWF World Championships held in Basel, Switzerland, by 20-year-old Yeo Jia Min of Singapore 0–2.^[60] She qualified for the World Tour Finals in Guangzhou and finished as a semi-finalists after being defeated by Chen Yufei.^{[citation needed]}

2020–2021

In 2020, Yamaguchi claimed her first title victory of the year at the Thailand Masters, winning against An Se-young in two consecutive games.^[61] She was then in the Japanese team that won the Asian Women's team championship.^[62][63]

Yamaguchi competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics as the number four seed.^[64] Just like the last edition, she was defeated in the quarter-finals. She lost against P. V. Sindhu.^[65] Yamaguchi became the Denmark Open champion for the second time by besting her rival from South Korea, An Se-young. This was also her second super 1000 title.^[66] She won her second consecutive title by winning the French Open Super 750 event against Sayaka Takahashi.^[67] Her rivalry against An Se-young continued and both met at the Indonesian Masters final. This time Yamaguchi lost to An in two games.^[68] Yamaguchi was crowned the World Champion after she defeated Tai Tzu-ying in the final, and with this she became only the second Japanese women's singles player to win the World Championships after Nozomi Okuhara.^[69]

2022

At the 2022 All England Open, Yamaguchi defeated Korea's An Se-young in straight sets (21–15, 21–15) to win the women's singles title at the All England Open for the first time.^[70] She became the fourth Japanese women's singles player to win the All England Championship after Hiroe Yuki, Etsuko Takenaka and Nozomi Okuhara. In the Asian Championships in April, Yamaguchi lost 1–2 (21–15, 13–21, 19–21) in the final to Chinese player Wang Zhiyi, and missed the second consecutive Asian Championships.^[71]

On 28 August 2022, Yamaguchi defeated Chinese player Chen Yufei with a score of 21–12, 10–21, and 21–14 in the women's singles final of the World Championships, becoming world champion for the second year in a row.^[72] She also became the first player in the history of Japanese badminton women's singles to successfully defend her title in the world championships.^[73][74] Yamaguchi was later named the 2022 BWF Female Player of the Year.^[75] At the BWF World Tour Final held in Bangkok, Thailand in December, she won the championship with a 2–0 victory over Tai Tzu-ying.^[76]

Playing style

Chinese player Sun Yu has commented on Yamaguchi's style, pointing out that while small, she is diligent and runs swiftly, and she is capable of picking up the kinds of difficult shots that others are typically unable to save. Sun Yu suggested that her style of play is based upon patience and consistent performance, observing that she does not make mistakes often, and simultaneously takes advantage to score from opponents who rush and make errors. Another Chinese player, Wang Shixian, agrees that Yamaguchi is quick and nimble, and for challengers to be successful, they need to be capable of matching her speed.^[77]

In 2019, Li Yongbo, head coach of the Chinese team, commented on the Japanese player:

She plays with patience and quality. As to whether there is room for further development due to her short stature, I think talent in badminton is not limited by height restrictions; her skill is more than enough to make up for her height. As for her future, we have to see how she holds up in the coming year.^[78]

Awards

Award	Year	Category	Result	Ref.
BWF Awards	2013	Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year	Won	[17]
	2014		Won	[79]
	2022	Player of the Year	Won	[80]

Achievements

World Championships

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China	P. V. Sindhu	16–21, 22–24	Bronze	[50]
2021	Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain	Tai Tzu-ying	21–14, 21–11	Gold	[69]
2022	Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan	Chen Yufei	21–12, 10–21, 21–14	Gold	[72]
2023	Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark	Carolina Marín	21–23, 13–21	Bronze

Asian Games

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia	P. V. Sindhu	17–21, 21–15, 10–21	Bronze	[52]

Asian Championships

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2017	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Tai Tzu-ying	21–18, 11–21, 18–21	Silver	[37]
2019	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	He Bingjiao	21–19, 21–9	Gold	[56]
2022	Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Metro Manila, Philippines	Wang Zhiyi	21–15, 13–21, 19–21	Silver	[71]
2023	Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Tai Tzu-ying	12–21, 21–16, 15–21	Bronze

East Asian Games

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2013	Binhai New Area Dagang Gymnasium, Tianjin, China	Wang Shixian	21–19, 19–21, 16–21	Bronze

Youth Olympic Games

Girls' singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2014	Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, China	He Bingjiao	24–22, 21–23, 17–21	Silver	[24]

World Junior Championships

Girls' singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2012	Chiba Port Arena, Chiba, Japan	Nozomi Okuhara	12–21, 9–21	Silver	[8]
2013	Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Aya Ohori	21–11, 21–13	Gold	[13]
2014	Stadium Sultan Abdul Halim, Alor Setar, Malaysia	He Bingjiao	14–21, 21–18, 21–13	Gold	[21]

Asian Youth Games

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2013	Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, China	Minoru Koga	Dechapol Puavaranukroh Puttita Supajirakul	21–19, 19–21, 21–17	Gold	[14]

Asian Junior Championships

Girls' singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2012	Gimcheon Indoor Stadium, Gimcheon, South Korea	Nozomi Okuhara	19–21, 9–21	Bronze	[5]
2014	Taipei Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan	Chen Yufei	21–10，21–15	Gold	[19]

BWF World Tour (18 titles, 8 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,^[81] 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.^[82]

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Level	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	German Open	Super 300	Chen Yufei	21–19, 6–21, 21–12	Winner	[44]
2018	All England Open	Super 1000	Tai Tzu-ying	20–22, 13–21	Runner-up	[45]
2018	French Open	Super 750	Tai Tzu-ying	22–20, 17–21, 21–13	Winner	[53]
2019	German Open	Super 300	Ratchanok Intanon	16–21, 21–14, 25–23	Winner	[54]
2019	Malaysia Open	Super 750	Tai Tzu-ying	16–21, 19–21	Runner-up	[55]
2019	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	P. V. Sindhu	21–15, 21–16	Winner	[59]
2019	Japan Open	Super 750	Nozomi Okuhara	21–13, 21–15	Winner	[58]
2020	Thailand Masters	Super 300	An Se-young	21–16, 22–20	Winner	[61]
2021	Denmark Open	Super 1000	An Se-young	18–21, 25–23, 16–5 retired	Winner	[66]
2021	French Open	Super 750	Sayaka Takahashi	21–18, 21–12	Winner	[67]
2021	Indonesia Masters	Super 750	An Se-young	17–21, 19–21	Runner-up	[68]
2022	All England Open	Super 1000	An Se-young	21–15, 21–15	Winner	[70]
2022	Japan Open	Super 750	An Se-young	21–9, 21–15	Winner
2022	BWF World Tour Finals	World Tour Finals	Tai Tzu-ying	21–18, 22–20	Winner	[76]
2023	Malaysia Open	Super 1000	An Se-young	12–21, 21–19, 21–11	Winner
2023	India Open	Super 750	An Se-young	21–15, 16–21, 12–21	Runner-up
2023	German Open	Super 300	An Se-young	21–11, 21–14	Winner
2023	Malaysia Masters	Super 500	Gregoria Mariska Tunjung	21–17, 21–7	Winner
2023	Singapore Open	Super 750	An Se-young	16–21, 14–21	Runner-up
2023	Canada Open	Super 500	Ratchanok Intanon	21–19, 21–16	Winner
2023	China Open	Super 1000	An Se-young	10–21, 19–21	Runner-up
2023	Hong Kong Open	Super 500	Zhang Yiman	21–18, 21–15	Winner
2024	French Open	Super 750	An Se-young	21–18, 13–21, 10–21	Runner-up
2024	All England Open	Super 1000	Carolina Marín	24–26, 1–11 retired	Runner-up	[83]
2024	Japan Open	Super 750	Busanan Ongbamrungphan	21–12, 21–10	Winner	[84]
2024	Japan Masters	Super 500	Gregoria Mariska Tunjung	21–12, 21–12	Winner	[85]

BWF Superseries (5 titles, 5 runners-up)

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,^[86] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the 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.^[87] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2013	Japan Open	Shizuka Uchida	21–15, 21–19	Winner	[11]
2014	China Open	Saina Nehwal	12–21, 20–22	Runner-up	[25]
2015	Japan Open	Nozomi Okuhara	18–21, 12–21	Runner-up	[28]
2016	Korea Open	Sung Ji-hyun	20–22, 21–15, 21–18	Winner	[31]
2016	Denmark Open	Tai Tzu-ying	19–21, 21–14, 21–12	Winner	[33]
2017	Australian Open	Nozomi Okuhara	12–21, 23–21, 17–21	Runner-up	[39]
2017	Denmark Open	Ratchanok Intanon	21–14, 15–21, 19–21	Runner-up	[40]
2017	French Open	Tai Tzu-ying	4–21, 16–21	Runner-up	[41]
2017	China Open	Gao Fangjie	21–13, 21–15	Winner	[42]
2017	Dubai World Superseries Finals	P. V. Sindhu	15–21, 21–12, 21–19	Winner	[43]

  BWF Superseries Finals tournament

  BWF Superseries Premier tournament

  BWF Superseries tournament

BWF Grand Prix (2 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 BWF and played between 2007 and 2017.

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2013	New Zealand Open	Deng Xuan	17–21, 21–18, 20–22	Runner-up	[10]
2015	Bitburger Open	Busanan Ongbamrungphan	16–21, 21–14, 21–13	Winner	[29]
2017	German Open	Carolina Marín	Walkover	Winner	[36]

  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

  BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (1 runner-up)

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2013	Osaka International	Kaori Imabeppu	20–22, 16–21	Runner-up	[9]

  BWF International Challenge tournament

Performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

A

G

S

B

NH

N/A

DNQ

(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Overview

Singles Played Wins Losses Balance Total 581 441 140 +301 2024 3 2 1 +1

Doubles Played Wins Losses Balance Total 4 2 2 0 2024 0 0 0 0

National team

Junior level

Team events	2012	2013	2014	Ref
Asian Junior Championships	G	B	B	[7]
World Junior Championships	S	4th	B

Senior level

Team events	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	Ref
East Asian Games	B	NH
Asia Team Championships	NH			A	NH	G	NH	G	NH	A	NH	A	[62]
Asia Mixed Team Championships	NH				G	NH	A	NH			A	NH	[35]
Asian Games	NH	B	NH			G	NH			B	NH		[51]
Uber Cup	NH	S	NH	B	NH	G	NH	S	NH	B	NH	B	[22][48]
Sudirman Cup	A	NH	S	NH	B	NH	S	NH	S	NH	B	NH

Individual competitions

Junior level

Girls' singles

Events	2012	2013	2014	Ref
Asian Junior Championships	B	A	G	[5][19]
Asian Youth Games	NH	R16	NH
World Junior Championships	S	G	G	[8][13][21]
Youth Olympic Games	NH		S	[24]

Mixed doubles

Events	2012	2013	2014	Ref
Asian Junior Championships	2R	A
Asian Youth Games	NH	G	NH	[14]
World Junior Championships	2R	A
Youth Olympic Games	NH		RR

Senior level

Women's singles

Events	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Ref
East Asian Games	B	NH
Asian Championships	A		2R	2R	S	w/d	G	NH		S	B	QF	QF	[37][56][71]
Asian Games	NH	2R	NH			B	NH			A	NH			[52]
World Championships	A			NH	3R	B	2R	NH	G	G	B	NH		[38][50][60][69][72]
Olympic Games	NH			QF	NH			QF	NH			QF	NH	[30][65]

Tournament	BWF Superseries / Grand Prix						BWF World Tour								Best	Ref
	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Malaysia Open	A		QF	2R	1R	QF	QF	F	NH		1R	W	QF	A	W ('23)	[55]
India Open	A				2R	SF	A		NH		A	F	2R	A	F ('23)
Indonesia Masters	A					NH	A	2R	2R	F	A	w/d	w/d	A	F ('21)	[68]
Thailand Masters	NH				A				W	NH		A			W ('20)	[61]
German Open	A			1R	SF	W	W	W	NH		2R	W	A		W ('17, '18, '19, '23)	[36][44][54]
All England Open	A			1R	2R	SF	F	SF	QF	QF	W	SF	F	SF	W ('22)	[45][70]
Swiss Open	A			SF	1R	A			NH	A					SF ('15)
Thailand Open	A		NH	A			QF	w/d	w/d	NH	QF	A			QF ('18, '22)
									w/d
Malaysia Masters	A				1R	A	SF	1R	1R	NH	QF	W	A	Q	W ('23)
Singapore Open	A			QF	SF	QF	A	SF	NH		A	F	QF	Q	F ('23)
Indonesia Open	A		1R	QF	2R	QF	QF	W	NH	QF	QF	QF	w/d		W ('19)	[27][59]
Australian Open	A		1R	2R	QF	F	A		NH		A		w/d		F ('17)	[39]
U.S. Open	A			SF	A				NH			A			SF ('15)
Canada Open	A								NH		A	W	A		W ('23)
Japan Open	1R	W	1R	F	SF	QF	QF	W	NH		W	QF	W		W ('13, '19, '22, '24)	[11][28][58]
Korea Open	A		2R	SF	W	SF	SF	1R	NH		A	SF	1R		W ('16)	[31]
Hong Kong Open	A		QF	2R	QF	QF	QF	SF	NH			W	A		W ('23)
China Open	A		F	2R	QF	W	SF	1R	NH			F	SF		W ('17)	[25][42][88]
Macau Open	A			SF	A				NH				A		SF ('15)
Denmark Open	A		2R	2R	W	F	2R	1R	w/d	W	QF	w/d	1R		W ('16, '21)	[33][40][66][89]
French Open	A		QF	1R	QF	F	W	SF	NH	W	SF	w/d	F		W ('18, '21)	[41][53][67]
Hylo Open	A			W	A										W ('15)	[29]
Korea Masters	A							SF	NH		A				SF ('19)
Japan Masters	NH											w/d	W		W ('24)	[85]
China Masters	A						2R	1R	NH			w/d	1R		2R ('18)
Superseries / World Tour Finals	DNQ		SF	DNQ	RR	W	SF	SF	DNQ	SF	W	w/d	RR		W ('17, '22)	[26][43][76]
New Zealand Open	A	F	A					SF	NH						F ('13)	[10]
Year-end ranking	242	87	12	10	7	2	5	3	3	2	1	3	3		1	[46]
Tournament	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Best	Ref

Women's doubles

Tournament	BWF Superseries / Grand Prix	Best
	2012
Japan Open	2R	2R ('12)
Year-end ranking	127	114

Record against other players

Yamaguchi's record against year-end finals finalists, world championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 11 April 2025.^[90]

Players Matches Results Difference Won Lost Chen Yufei 33 21 12 +9 Han Yue 8 6 2 +4 He Bingjiao 17 13 4 +9 Li Xuerui 11 4 7 –3 Wang Shixian 4 2 2 0 Wang Yihan 3 1 2 –1 Wang Zhiyi 9 6 3 +3 Zhang Yiman 7 6 1 +5 Tai Tzu-ying 24 11 13 –2 Saina Nehwal 13 11 2 +9 P. V. Sindhu 26 12 14 –2

Players Matches Results Difference Won Lost Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 20 15 5 +10 Minatsu Mitani 2 2 0 +2 Aya Ohori 7 7 0 +7 Nozomi Okuhara 19 8 11 –3 An Se-young 26 14 12 +2 Bae Yeon-ju 6 4 2 +2 Sung Ji-hyun 10 5 5 0 Carolina Marín 17 7 10 –3 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 2 2 0 +2 Ratchanok Intanon 25 14 11 +3