Wakana Nagahara (永原 和可那, Nagahara Wakana, born 9 January 1996) is a Japanese badminton player.[1] She is a two-time world champion in the women's doubles. Nagahara attended Aomori Yamada High School, and was part of the Japanese national junior team that won the bronze medals at the 2013, 2014 Asian and 2014 World Junior Championships. She won her first senior international title at the 2014 Smiling Fish International in the women's doubles event partnered with Mayu Matsumoto.[2] In national events, she plays for the Hokuto Bank team.[3] Nagahara was awarded as the 2018 Most Improved Player of the Year by the BWF together with her partner Mayu Matsumoto. They obtained the honour after winning the 2018 BWF World Championships title and improving their ranking from 14 to 3 in the world.[4] On 30 April 2019, she reached a career high as the women's doubles world No. 1.

Wakana Nagahara
永原 和可那
Personal information
CountryJapan
Born (1996-01-09) 9 January 1996 (age 28)
Hokkaido, Japan
ResidenceAkita, Akita, Japan
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
HandednessRight
Women's & mixed doubles
Highest ranking1 (WD with Mayu Matsumoto, 30 April 2019)
19 (XD with Takuro Hoki, 9 July 2019)
Current ranking7 (WD with Mayu Matsumoto, 16 April 2024)
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Japan
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Nanjing Women's doubles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Basel Women's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Huelva Women's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Tokyo Women's doubles
Sudirman Cup
Silver medal – second place 2019 Nanning Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Suzhou Mixed team
Uber Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Bangkok Women's team
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Chengdu Women's team
Asian Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Wuhan Women's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Dubai Women's doubles
Asia Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2020 Manila Women's team
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Alor Setar Mixed team
Asian Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Kota Kinabalu Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Taipei Mixed team
BWF profile

Career edit

2021 edit

In March, Nagahara and her partner Mayu Matsumoto won their first World Tour Super 1000 title in the All England Open defeating their compatriots, the defending champion, and current world number 1, Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota in the final.[5] She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics partnering Matsumoto as 3rd seeds, and her pace was stopped by Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong of South Korea in the quarter-finals.[6]

Achievements edit

BWF World Championships edit

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2018 Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China   Mayu Matsumoto   Yuki Fukushima
  Sayaka Hirota
19–21, 21–19, 22–20   Gold
2019 St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland   Mayu Matsumoto   Yuki Fukushima
  Sayaka Hirota
21–11, 20–22, 23–21   Gold
2021 Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain   Mayu Matsumoto   Chen Qingchen
  Jia Yifan
15–21, 12–21   Bronze
2022 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan   Mayu Matsumoto   Chen Qingchen
  Jia Yifan
13–21, 14–21   Bronze

Asian Championships edit

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2019 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium,
Wuhan, China
  Mayu Matsumoto   Chen Qingchen
  Jia Yifan
21–19, 14–21, 19–21   Silver
2023 Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  Mayu Matsumoto   Baek Ha-na
  Lee So-hee
21–16, 8–21, 13–21   Bronze

BWF World Tour (5 titles, 10 runners-up) edit

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[7] 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 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[8]

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result
2018 Indonesia Open Super 1000   Mayu Matsumoto   Yuki Fukushima
  Sayaka Hirota
14–21, 21–16, 14–21   Runner-up
2018 Spain Masters Super 300   Mayu Matsumoto   Ayako Sakuramoto
  Yukiko Takahata
21–17, 21–13   Winner
2018 China Open Super 1000   Mayu Matsumoto   Misaki Matsutomo
  Ayaka Takahashi
16–21, 12–21   Runner-up
2018 French Open Super 750   Mayu Matsumoto   Gabriela Stoeva
  Stefani Stoeva
21–14, 21–19   Winner
2018 Fuzhou China Open Super 750   Mayu Matsumoto   Lee So-hee
  Shin Seung-chan
21–23, 18–21   Runner-up
2019 All England Open Super 1000   Mayu Matsumoto   Chen Qingchen
  Jia Yifan
21–18, 20–22, 11–21   Runner-up
2019 Singapore Open Super 500   Mayu Matsumoto   Kim Hye-jeong
  Kong Hee-yong
21–17, 22–20   Winner
2019 Japan Open Super 750   Mayu Matsumoto   Kim So-yeong
  Kong Hee-yong
12–21, 12–21   Runner-up
2019 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals   Mayu Matsumoto   Chen Qingchen
  Jia Yifan
14–21, 10–21   Runner-up
2020 Denmark Open Super 750   Mayu Matsumoto   Yuki Fukushima
  Sayaka Hirota
10–21, 21–16, 18–21   Runner-up
2021 All England Open Super 1000   Mayu Matsumoto   Yuki Fukushima
  Sayaka Hirota
21–18, 21–16   Winner
2022 Thailand Open Super 500   Mayu Matsumoto   Nami Matsuyama
  Chiharu Shida
21–17, 15–21, 24–26   Runner-up
2022 French Open Super 750   Mayu Matsumoto   Pearly Tan
  Thinaah Muralitharan
19–21, 21–18, 15–21   Runner-up
2023 Canada Open Super 500   Mayu Matsumoto   Nami Matsuyama
  Chiharu Shida
20–22, 16–21   Runner-up
2024 India Open Super 750   Mayu Matsumoto   Zhang Shuxian
  Zheng Yu
21–12, 21–13   Winner

BWF Grand Prix (2 titles, 4 runners-up) edit

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

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2014 Russian Open   Mayu Matsumoto   Yuriko Miki
  Koharu Yonemoto
17–21, 7–21   Runner-up
2016 U.S. Open   Mayu Matsumoto   Shiho Tanaka
  Koharu Yonemoto
22–20, 15–21, 19–21   Runner-up
2016 Thailand Open   Mayu Matsumoto   Puttita Supajirakul
  Sapsiree Taerattanachai
12–21, 17–21   Runner-up
2017 Canada Open   Mayu Matsumoto   Chisato Hoshi
  Naru Shinoya
21–16, 16–21, 21–18   Winner
2017 U.S. Open   Mayu Matsumoto   Lee So-hee
  Shin Seung-chan
16–21, 13–21   Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2016 U.S. Open   Yugo Kobayashi   Robert Mateusiak
  Nadieżda Zięba
21–16, 21–18   Winner
  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
  BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (1 title) edit

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2014 Smiling Fish International   Mayu Matsumoto   Pacharapun Chochuwong
  Chanisa Teachavorasinskun
21–17, 21–11   Winner
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

Performance timeline edit

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.

National team edit

  • Junior level
Team events 2013 2014
Asian Junior Championships B B
World Junior Championships 4th B
  • Senior level
Team events 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Asia Team Championships NH G NH A NH A
Uber Cup NH A NH B NH B
Sudirman Cup S NH DNP NH B NH

Individual competitions edit

Senior level edit

Women's doubles edit
Events 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Asian Championships A S NH A B
World Championships G G NH B B 3R NH
Olympic Games NH QF NH
Tournament BWF Superseries / Grand Prix BWF World Tour Best
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Malaysia Open A QF QF NH SF A 2R SF ('22)
India Open A NH A W W ('24)
Indonesia Masters A NH A SF 2R A w/d w/d SF ('19)
German Open A 2R SF NH w/d QF A SF ('19)
All England Open A SF F QF W w/d QF 1R W ('21)
Spain Masters NH W A NH A W ('18)
Malaysia Masters A 1R A SF w/d NH 2R SF SF ('19, '23)
Thailand Open NH A F A QF QF w/d NH F A F ('16, '22)
w/d
Singapore Open A W NH A QF W ('19)
Indonesia Open A F QF NH A 1R SF F ('18)
Chinese Taipei Open 2R 1R A SF A NH A SF ('17)
Canada Open A QF A W A NH A F W ('17)
U.S. Open A 1R F F A NH A F ('16, '17)
Korea Open A QF QF 2R NH A SF SF ('23)
Japan Open A 1R 1R 1R QF F NH QF SF F ('19)
Australian Open A QF NH QF QF QF ('19, '22, '23)
China Open A F 2R NH QF F ('18)
Hong Kong Open A QF 1R SF NH QF SF ('19)
Denmark Open A 1R SF F A 1R SF F ('20)
French Open A SF W SF NH A F SF SF W ('18)
Korea Masters A QF A NH A QF ('16)
Japan Masters NH SF SF ('23)
China Masters A 2R 1R F SF NH QF F ('18)
Superseries /
World Tour Finals
DNQ SF F DNQ w/d F ('19)
Macau Open A QF A NH QF ('17)
New Zealand Open A 2R 2R A QF NH QF ('19)
Russian Open F w/d A NH F ('14)
Year-end ranking 101 94 32 14 3 3 3 5 8 9 1
Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Best
Mixed doubles edit
Events 2019
Asian Championships 2R
World Championships 3R
Tournament SS / GP BWF World Tour Best
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Malaysia Masters A 2R QF QF ('20)
Indonesia Masters A NH A QF 1R QF ('19)
German Open A 1R NH 1R ('19)
All England Open A 1R 1R 1R ('19, '20)
Singapore Open A 1R NH 1R ('19)
Australian Open A 2R NH 2R ('19)
U.S. Open W SF A NH W ('16)
Canada Open A SF A NH SF ('17)
Korea Open A 1R NH 1R ('19)
China Open A 1R NH 1R ('19)
Japan Open 1R 1R A 1R NH 1R ('16, '17, '19)
Denmark Open A 1R 2R w/d 2R ('19)
French Open A QF QF NH QF ('18, '19)
Fuzhou China Open A 1R 2R 1R NH 2R ('18)
Hong Kong Open A QF 2R NH QF ('18)
Indonesia Open A 1R NH 1R ('19)
Malaysia Open A 1R NH 1R ('19)
Thailand Open A 1R w/d 1R ('19)
w/d
Year-end ranking 122 94 64 25 25 19
Tournament 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Best

References edit

  1. ^ "Players: Wakana Nagahara". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  2. ^ "永原 和可那/ Wakana Nagahara". Smash-net.tv (in Japanese). TMONY Japan Corporation. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Wakana Nagahara 永原 和可那 No. 2". Hokuto Badminton Club (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  4. ^ Hearn, Don (11 December 2018). "Big winners awarded on BWF's 'Night of Nights'". Badzine. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  5. ^ Sukumar, Dev; Pierre, Dianne (22 March 2021). "All England: Watanabe's Double the Highlight of Japan's Sweep". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Badminton - NAGAHARA Wakana". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.

External links edit