Yudai Okimoto

is a Japanese badminton player who competes in men's singles. A member of the Japanese national team, he plays for the BIPROGY team and has reached a career-high world ranking of No. 21.

Okimoto won a silver medal in boys' singles at the 2023 Asian Junior Championships and captured his first senior international title at the 2024 Finnish International. He has since won two Super 300 titles on the World Tour: the 2026 Canada Open, his maiden World Tour title, and the 2026 Taipei Open, where he became the first Japanese player to win the men's singles event in the tournament's history.

Okimoto has also contributed to several milestones for the Japanese team. He was part of the squad that won the mixed team gold medal at the 2023 Asian Junior Championships, Japan's first in 11 years, and helped the team capture its first-ever men's title at the 2026 Asia Team Championships.

Early life and career Okimoto was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan, and began playing badminton at age six under the influence of his older brother. During his youth he divided his time between two sports, practicing badminton at the Hara Junior Club on Saturday mornings and playing third base in a youth baseball league in the afternoons. His involvement in baseball stemmed from a "reward promise" made by his parents, who allowed him to join the baseball club only after he won a national badminton tournament in the second grade.

He later attended Saitama Sakae Junior and Senior High School in Saitama Prefecture. Following the achievement, he appeared on the cover of the May 2023 issue of Badminton Magazine, which also featured a special interview with him.

Career 2023: Junior career and World Tour debut In 2023, Okimoto was selected for the Japanese national B team, competing in men's doubles alongside Daigo Tanioka on the senior circuit.

2024–2025: First senior titles, Super 300 final, and World Top 50 In April 2024, Okimoto joined the BIPROGY Badminton Team and shifted his focus to men's singles. On the World Tour, he advanced to the semifinals of the Orléans Masters, defeating eighth seed Ayush Shetty before losing to eventual champion Alex Lanier. He subsequently competed in his first Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, where Japan placed fifth.

Okimoto captured his maiden World Tour title in July at the Canada Open, defeating local player Victor Lai in the semifinals and compatriot Riki Takei in the final. Following this victory, he reached a career-high world ranking of No. 21.

Playing style Standing at 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in), Okimoto developed a defensive, highly tenacious playing style in high school to compensate for his smaller stature against taller international opponents. He describes his approach as . His gameplay relies on physical endurance, consistent court coverage, and shot anticipation, using precise placement to patiently build extended rallies.

Elite opponents have praised his tactical approach and resilience. Asian Games gold medalist Jonatan Christie described Okimoto as a tenacious, persistent player who is difficult to put away, noting that his rallying endurance reflects a traditional Japanese playing style. Former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen has similarly praised Okimoto's stamina, solid defense, and low error rate, noting that his deceptive shot placement and ability to push the pace in the front court limit his opponents' attacking opportunities.

Personal life Okimoto is a fan of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team. As a child, he played third base in a youth baseball league and aspired to become a professional baseball player. He idolized Carp infielder Tetsuya Kokubo as a child, and currently cites Shohei Ohtani as the athlete he admires most.

BWF World Tour (2 titles, 2 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, and the BWF Tour Super 100.

Men's singles Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result Ref 2025 Malaysia Super 100 Super 100 Dong Tianyao 14–21, 17–21 Runner-up 2025 Korea Masters Super 300 Jason Teh 14–21, 15–21 Runner-up 2026 Canada Open Super 300 Riki Takei 21–13, 21–3 Winner 2026 Taipei Open Super 300 Yoo Tae-bin 21–19, 21–12 Winner 2024 Réunion Open Tharun Mannepalli 15–21, 15–21 Runner-up 2024 Mauritius International Rizki Ansyahri 16–21, 21–7, 21–14 Winner 2025 Northern Marianas Open Kim Hae-deun 13–21, 21–15, 21–18 Winner 2025 Saipan International Riki Takei 14–16, 4–15 Runner-up

BWF International Challenge tournament BWF International Series tournament BWF Future Series tournament

BWF Junior International (2 titles, 1 runner-up) Boys' singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref 2023 German Junior Eogene Ewe 21–16, 14–21, 21–18 Winner 2023 Dutch Junior International Hu Zhe'an 21–7, 11–21, 14–3 retired Winner 2022 Malaysia Junior International Sora Ogaki 17–21, 12–21 Runner-up BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament BWF Junior International Series tournament

Performance timeline

National team Junior level Team events 2023 Ref Asian Junior Championships G World Junior Championships 5th

Senior level Team events 2026 Ref Asia Team Championships G

Individual competitions Junior level Events 2023 Ref Asian Junior Championships S

Senior level

Wins over top-10 ranked players Wins over players who were ranked in the world's top 10 at the time the match was played. Opponent Tournament Score 1

9

29 Player Matches Win Lost Victor Lai 2 2 0 +2 Shi Yuqi 1 0 1 –1 Chou Tien-chen 1 1 0 +1

Player Matches Win Lost Alex Lanier 1 0 1 –1 Srikanth Kidambi 1 0 1 –1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 1 0 1 –1