Koki Watanabe
| Koki Watanabe 渡邉 航貴 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 January 1999 Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Kazumasa Sakai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 174 wins, 100 losses (63.50%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 11 (22 October 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 11 (22 October 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| BWF profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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] He won his first international title at the 2018 Yonex / K&D Graphics International tournament.
Career
[edit]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]
In 2018, Watanabe became the runner-up at the BWF Super 100 tournament Russian Open.[5]
2024
[edit]Koki Watanabe celebrated a significant milestone in his badminton career by winning his first Super 500 title at the 2024 Canada Open. This victory is particularly meaningful, as it fulfills one of his long-held dreams. Watanabe expressed his satisfaction with this achievement and emphasized the importance of staying focused and taking one step at a time to reach his goals. In the final match, Watanabe faced Alex Lanier, the defending champion from 2022. The match was hard-fought, with Watanabe winning the third game 21–6. Lanier admitted that he ran out of energy in the third game, which allowed Watanabe to dominate and secure the title.[6]
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWF Awards | 2019 | Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year | Nominated | [7] |
Achievements
[edit]BWF World Junior Championships
[edit]Boys' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Centro de Alto Rendimiento de la Videna, Lima, Peru |  Lu Chia-hung | 18–21, 12–21 |  Bronze |
BWF World Tour (3 titles, 3 runners-up)
[edit]The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[8] 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.[9]
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 | [10] |
| 2019 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 |  Thomas Rouxel | 18–21, 21–12, 21–19 |  Winner | [11] |
| 2023 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Chou Tien-chen | 22–20, 18–21, 21–12 | Winner | [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 | [14] |
| 2024 | Denmark Open | Super 750 |  Anders Antonsen | 15–21, 16–21 | Runner-up | [15][16] |
BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)
[edit]Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Yonex / K&D Graphics International | Kodai Naraoka | 21–14, 14–21, 21–15 | Winner | [17] |
| 2019 | Osaka International | Takuma Obayashi | 19–21, 21–17, 21–7 | Winner | [18] |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
References
[edit]- ^ "Players: Koki Watanabe". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ a b "渡邉 航貴" (in Japanese). Biprogy. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "「ロシアオープン2018」女子ダブルス星千智・中西貴映組 優勝！男子シングルス渡邉航貴 準優勝！女子シングルス海老原詩織 準優勝！" (in Japanese). Unisys. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (8 July 2024). "Canada Open: 'dream Come True'". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "Nominees Announced for Player of the Year Awards". Badminton World Federation. 5 December 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Sourabh Verma wins Russian Open badminton, beats Koki Watanabe in final". Hindustan Times. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Anastasiadou-Galva, Despoina (24 March 2019). "Très Bien for Europe in Orléans!". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Swiss Open: Koki Watanabe Emerges Surprise Winner". Badminton World Federation. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Korea Masters: Momota breaks dry spell". Badminton World Federation. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (8 July 2024). "Canada Open dream come true". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pierre, Dianne (21 October 2024). "Denmark Open: Kasper On Board, Anders Makes Spirited Beginning". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "Pan Am Players at Yonex K&D Graphics International Challenge". Badminton Pan America. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "大阪国際チャレンジ】日本勢は３種目でV！渡邉、川上、保原＆曽根が王者に！＜IC＞" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
External links
[edit]- Koki Watanabe at BWFBadminton.com
- Koki Watanabe at BWF.TournamentSoftware.com (alternate link)