Eriko Hirose

Eriko Hirose (廣瀬 栄理子, Hirose Eriko, born 16 March 1985) is a Japanese badminton coach and former player who specialized in women's singles. She achieved a career-high singles world ranking of No. 7 and represented Japan at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Hirose was the runner-up at the 2011 All England Open, becoming the first Japanese player to reach the women's singles final in 32 years. She won a women's singles bronze medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou and two singles bronze medals at the Asian Championships. In team events, she was part of the Japanese women's team that won a silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and three Uber Cup medals between 2010 and 2014.

Domestically, Hirose won the women's singles title at the All Japan Championships five times, including three consecutive titles from 2008 to 2010. She retired from competitive badminton in December 2014 and later became a coach, serving on the coaching staff of Japan's national B team.

Career Hirose began playing badminton in the first grade of elementary school and later attended Aomori Yamada High School. In 2002, she won bronze medals in both the girls' singles and girls' team events at the Asian Junior Championships in Kuala Lumpur. After graduating from high school, she joined Sanyo Electric in 2003.

In 2005, Hirose competed at the World Championships in Anaheim, advancing to the third round before losing to Hong Kong's Wang Chen. Later that year, she won a bronze medal in women's singles at the Asian Championships in Hyderabad after losing to compatriot Kaori Mori in the semifinals. Hirose was part of the Japanese team that won the silver medal in the women's team event at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. In 2007, she won the women's singles title at the inaugural Osaka International, defeating Kanako Yonekura in the final.

During the qualification period for the 2008 Summer Olympics, Hirose suffered a torn right hamstring at the 2007 Philippines Open, sidelining her for three months. After being told that surgery would rule out a timely return for the Olympics, she opted for non-surgical treatment. On her return, Hirose reached the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open in November 2007, defeating 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Zhou Mi in straight games in the second round, a victory she later described as a turning point in her qualification for Beijing. and Vietnam's Lê Ngọc Nguyên Nhung in the second round. Her run ended in the third round, where she lost in three games to fifth seed Pi Hongyan of France.

In May 2010, Hirose helped Japan win a bronze medal at the 2010 Uber Cup in Kuala Lumpur, where the team reached the semifinals before losing 1–3 to South Korea. At the 2010 World Championships in Paris, she advanced to the quarterfinals after upsetting top-seeded world No. 1 Wang Yihan in three games in the third round. She was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Wang Lin. On 23 September 2010, Hirose reached a career-high women's singles world ranking of No. 7. Later that year, she won a bronze medal in women's singles at the Asian Games in Guangzhou after losing to world No. 1 Wang Xin in the semifinals.

In March 2011, Hirose reached the women's singles final at the All England Open, becoming the first Japanese woman to contest the singles final at the tournament since Saori Kondo in 1979. After defeating fifth seed Saina Nehwal in the quarterfinals and Petya Nedelcheva in the semifinals, she finished as runner-up to world No. 1 Wang Shixian. Her appearance in the final came two days after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, with Hirose saying that she hoped her performance could bring encouragement to those affected in Japan. In May 2012, she was part of the Japanese team that won a bronze medal at the 2012 Uber Cup in Wuhan. In September 2012, amid news that Panasonic's badminton team would be suspended at the end of the season, Hirose reached her first Japan Open final, where she finished runner-up to Tai Tzu-ying. The following month, she defeated Wang Shixian in three games at the French Open before reaching the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Minatsu Mitani.

In 2013, Hirose earned her second career women's singles bronze medal at the Asian Championships in Taipei, losing in the semifinals to Wang Yihan. She contributed to Japan's silver-medal finish at the 2014 Uber Cup in New Delhi, defeating P. C. Thulasi in Japan's semifinal victory over India. Domestically, Hirose won the women's singles title at the All Japan Championships five times, in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, including three consecutive titles from 2008 to 2010.

Following the disbandment of Panasonic's badminton team, Hirose joined Yonex in 2013 under a professional contract. In January 2017, she joined the coaching staff of the Japan national team as a B-team coach.

Achievements Asian Games Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref 2010 Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China Wang Xin 7–21, 15–21 Bronze Bronze 2013 Taipei Arena, Taipei, Taiwan Wang Yihan 12–21, 6–21 Bronze Bronze BWF Superseries Premier tournament BWF Superseries tournament

IBF World Grand Prix The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) since 1983.

Women's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref

Player Matches Win Lost Petya Nedelcheva 7 6 1 +5 Gong Ruina 1 1 0 +1 Li Xuerui 5 0 5 –5 Lu Lan 8 2 6 –4 Wang Lin 4 2 2 0 Wang Shixian 10 1 9 –8 Wang Xin 5 0 5 –5 Wang Yihan 9 1 8 –7 Xie Xingfang 4 0 4 –4 Zhang Ning 6 0 6 –6 Zhu Lin 10 3 7 –4 Cheng Shao-chieh 4 2 2 0 Huang Chia-chi 1 1 0 +1 Tai Tzu-ying 6 3 3 0 Tine Baun 3 1 2 –1 Tracey Hallam 2 2 0 +2 Pi Hongyan 7 1 6 –5

Player Matches Win Lost Juliane Schenk 10 4 6 –2 Xu Huaiwen 4 1 3 –2 Wang Chen 4 1 3 –2 Yip Pui Yin 7 4 3 +1 / Zhou Mi 6 2 4 –2 Saina Nehwal 9 5 4 +1 P. V. Sindhu 4 3 1 +2 Lindaweni Fanetri 3 1 2 –1 Maria Kristin Yulianti 3 2 1 +1 Minatsu Mitani 3 1 2 –1 Wong Mew Choo 8 3 5 –2 Bae Yeon-ju 6 4 2 +2 Sung Ji-hyun 7 0 7 –7 Carolina Marín 2 1 1 0 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 8 3 5 –2 Ratchanok Intanon 3 0 3 –3