Mayu Matsumoto

is a Japanese badminton player. Born in Hokkaido, she graduated from Shiritsu Towanomorisanai High School. She plays for the Honegori Sagamihara team. Matsumoto was awarded as the 2018 Most Improved Player of the Year by the BWF together with her partner Wakana Nagahara. They obtained the honor after their win in the 2018 BWF World Championships title and improving their ranking from 14 to 3 in the world. On 30 April 2019, she reached a career high as a women's doubles world No. 1.

Career 2013–2016 In 2013, Matsumoto was selected to join the national junior team compete in the Asian Junior Championships. Played in three categories women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, she unable to win a single medal in the individual event. She won a bronze medal after Japanese team finished in the semi-finals. In 2014, she captured two title, winning the women's doubles title in the Smiling Fish International with Wakana Nagahara, and the women's singles title in the Indonesia International. In 2015, she finished runner-up in the women's singles in the Russian Open, losing to Czechia Kristína Gavnholt.

In 2016, Matsumoto and Nagahara reached two finals in the Grand Prix event, the U.S. and Thailand Opens. She claimed her first ever Grand Prix title in the 2017 Canada Open, winning the women's doubles with Nagahara. They then matched their previous year's achievement in the U.S. Open by becoming runners-up.

2018–2019 Matsumoto focused on competing in the women's doubles event in 2018. Together with Nagahara, she showed significant achievements. They won the gold medal in the 2018 World Championships, won two World Tour title in the Spain Masters and French Open, as well three runners-up in the Indonesia, China, and Fuzhou China Opens. During the season, the duo was improving their ranking from 14 to 3 in the world and then awarded as the 2018 Most Improved Player of the Year by the BWF. They only won a title in the BWF World Tour event, in the Singapore Open, and became a finalists at the historical All England Open, Japan Open, Asian Championships, as well at the BWF World Tour Finals, where they was beaten by Chinese pairing Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in three finals (All England, Asian Championships, and World Tour Finals). She was selected to join Japan Sudirman Cup team, where the team won the silver medal at that competition. Matsumoto and Nagahara successfully defended their World Championships title, after battling in a close rubber games against last year finalists Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota.

2021 In March, Matsumoto and her partner Nagahara 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. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics partnering Nagahara as 3rd seeds, and her pace was stopped by Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong of South Korea in the quarter-finals.

2024 Matsumoto and Nagahara won the India Open title in January, defeating Zhang Shuxian and Zheng Yu in the final. The pair also reached the semi-finals of the French Open and the Indonesia Open. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, they were eliminated in the group stage. Later in the season, Matsumoto formed a partnership with Yuki Fukushima. The new pair reached the final of the Japan Masters, finishing as runners-up to Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, and advanced to the semi-finals of the China Masters.

2025 Matsumoto and Fukushima began the season by winning the Super 1000 Malaysia Open, defeating Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian in the final. In March, the pair reached the final of the All England Open but finished as runners-up to compatriots Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. Following a third-round exit at the World Championships in August, the duo reached the semi-finals at the Korea Open, Denmark Open, and Japan Masters. In October, Matsumoto and Fukushima secured their second title of the year at the French Open, defeating Li Yijing and Luo Xumin. In December, the pair had risen to No. 5 in the world rankings. The pair also managed to reach the final of BWF World Tour Finals but losing out in the end against Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee of Korea.

Awards and nominations

Achievements

World Championships Women's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2018 Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China Wakana Nagahara Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota 19–21, 21–19, 22–20 Gold Gold 2021 Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain Wakana Nagahara Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan 15–21, 12–21 Bronze Bronze 2022 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan Wakana Nagahara Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan13–21, 14–21 Bronze Bronze

Asian Championships Women's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2019 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China Wakana Nagahara Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan 21–19, 14–21, 19–21 Silver Silver 2023 Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Wakana Nagahara Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee 21–16, 8–21, 13–21 Bronze Bronze 2026 Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, Ningbo, China Yuki Fukushima Li Yijing Luo Xumin 17–21, 17–21 Bronze Bronze

BWF World Tour (8 titles, 15 runners-up) The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, 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.

Women's doubles Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2018 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Wakana Nagahara Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota 14–21, 21–16, 14–21 Runner-up 2021 All England Open Super 1000 Wakana Nagahara Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota 21–18, 21–16 Winner 2022 French Open Super 750 Wakana Nagahara Pearly Tan Thinaah Muralitharan 19–21, 21–18, 15–21 Runner-up 2023 Canada Open Super 500 Wakana Nagahara Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida 20–22, 16–21 Runner-up 2024 India Open Super 750 Wakana Nagahara Zhang Shuxian Zheng Yu 21–12, 21–13 Winner 2026 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Yuki Fukushima Liu Shengshu Tan Ning 21–15, 18–21, 21–18 Winner 2026 China Open Super 1000 Yuki Fukushima Liu Shengshu Tan Ning 14–21, 19–21 Runner-up

BWF Grand Prix (1 title, 5 runners-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 Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.

Women's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref 2015 Russian Open Kristína Gavnholt 10–21, 20–22 Runner-up 2016 U.S. Open Wakana Nagahara Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto 22–20, 15–21, 19–21 Runner-up 2017 U.S. Open Wakana Nagahara Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan 16–21, 13–21 Runner-up

Women's doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2014 Smiling Fish International Wakana Nagahara Pacharapun Chochuwong Chanisa Teachavorasinskun 21–17, 21–11 Winner BWF International Challenge tournament BWF International Series tournament

Performance timeline

National team Junior level Team events 2013 Asian Junior Championships B

Senior level Team events 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Ref Asia Team Championships NH G NH A NH A NH A Asian Games NH A NH Q Uber Cup NH S NH B NH A NH B Sudirman Cup S NH S NH B NH A NH

Mixed doubles