Yuki Fukushima

is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with Gifu Bluvic. She reached the World No. 1 ranking in women's doubles with her former partner Sayaka Hirota, and is a two-time Asian Champion. She has secured three silver medals at the BWF World Championships and two bronze medals at the Asian Games. Fukushima received the 2017 Most Improved Player of the Year award from the Badminton World Federation.

Fukushima has contributed to several historic victories of the Japanese national team. Her performance helped Japan win the 2018 Uber Cup. Her tenure with the national squad also yielded a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games, as well as consecutive titles at the Asian Women's Team Championships in 2018 and 2020. She and Hirota ended their partnership in 2024.

Career Early career Fukushima began playing badminton in the third grade of elementary school, initially training at the club in Yatsushiro City Sakamoto Junior High School. She later attended Aomori Yamada High School in northern Japan, where she led her team to victory in the 2011 Inter-High School Championships in both women's doubles and the team event.

In 2011, she was selected for the U-19 Japan badminton team, and participated in the World Junior Championships in Taiwan, reaching the quarter-finals in both girls' singles and girls' doubles with her high school partner Naru Shinoya. Though she initially competed in singles—reaching the semi-finals of the 2011 Osaka International—her career shifted toward doubles after joining the Renesas (now Saishunkan) corporate team in 2012. She reached the final of the 2012 Singapore International and won both the women's singles and women's doubles titles at the Sydney International alongside Sayaka Hirota, marking the beginning of their partnership.

2015–2017: World Championships silver medalists Between 2015 and 2016, Fukushima and Hirota built the foundation for their later international success. They finished as runners-up at the 2015 Osaka International and the New Zealand Open before winning their first Grand Prix title at the Scottish Open. In 2016, Fukushima partnered Chiharu Shida for a period, winning the Vietnam International and finishing runner-up at the Spanish International. She and Hirota then reunited to win the 2016 New Zealand Open and the Chinese Taipei Masters.

Fukushima and Hirota's breakthrough came in 2017. The pair won their first title of the year at the German Open, then claimed their first Superseries title at the Malaysia Open, defeating China's Huang Yaqiong and Tang Jinhua. They went on to reach the final of the 2017 BWF World Championships in Glasgow, where they won the silver medal. The Badminton World Federation named the pair Most Improved Player of the Year for 2017,

2018: 2nd World Championships silver medal, Asian champions, and world #1 Fukushima and Hirota reached the World No. 1 ranking in women's doubles on 21 June 2018. along with BWF World Tour titles at the German, Indonesia, Japan, Denmark, and Hong Kong Opens. They also finished as runners-up at the All England and Korea Opens, and won the silver medal at the 2018 BWF World Championships. Fukushima and Hirota were the only pairing that year to reach the finals of the Uber Cup, the Asian Games team event, and the BWF World Championships.

Fukushima helped Japan win gold at the 2018 Asia Women's Team Championships in Alor Setar. Japan went on to win the Uber Cup in Bangkok, ending a 37-year title drought. Her results that year earned her a nomination for the BWF Female Player of the Year.

2019: 3rd World Championships silver medal, 2nd Indonesia Open title Fukushima and Hirota continued as one of the world's leading women's doubles pairs in 2019, winning four BWF World Tour titles: the Malaysia Masters, Australian Open, Fuzhou China Open, and a second consecutive Indonesia Open. Their Australian Open win ended a 19-match winning streak held by China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan against non-Chinese opponents. This consistency earned Fukushima and Hirota a nomination for the 2019 BWF Female Player of the Year, alongside Tai Tzu-ying and Huang Yaqiong. They also won their third consecutive silver medal at the BWF World Championships.

2020–2022: All England champion, regain world #1, and Olympic Spirit Fukushima and Hirota began 2020 by helping Japan defend its title at the Asian Women's Team Championships in Manila, where they won a decisive point in the final against South Korea's Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan in straight games. They then won the 2020 All England Open. Despite the disruption to the world tour caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, they also won the 2020 Denmark Open, maintaining their World No. 1 ranking. In early 2021, they reached the final of the All England Open for a second consecutive year, finishing runners-up to compatriots Matsumoto and Nagahara. Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Hirota suffered an ACL injury; she competed at the Games with a knee brace, and the pair reached the quarter-finals. They remained part of the Japanese national team at the 2020 Uber Cup (held in 2021), which Japan lost in the final to China to finish with the silver medal. In 2022, they helped Japan win the bronze medal at the Uber Cup in Bangkok, and reached the final of the Indonesia Open, where they lost a three-game match to Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. They also won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships.

2023–2024: The final years of Fuku-hiro In 2023, Fukushima and Hirota won the gold medal at the Asian Championships in Dubai. They reached the finals of the Indonesia Masters, Indonesia Open, China Masters, and Swiss Open — where Fukushima suffered a minor injury. Fukushima also played at the Sudirman Cup, where the Japanese team reached the semi-finals, and won bronze medals at the Asian Games in the women's doubles and team events. In late 2023, Hirota tore the ACL in her left knee during the semi-finals of the Syed Modi International in India, against Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa.

With Paris Olympic qualification at stake, Hirota delayed surgery to continue competing into 2024. She and Fukushima returned to the court at the French and All England Opens in March, with Hirota wearing a knee brace. They reached the quarter-finals of the All England Open, but Hirota's injury ultimately prevented the pair from qualifying for the Olympics. The "Fuku-hiro" partnership ended in September 2024.

2025 In 2025, Fukushima's partnership with Matsumoto was nicknamed "Fuku-matsu" by fans and media. The pair won the Malaysia Open in January and the French Open in October. They also reached the final of the All England Open, and the semi-finals of the Orléans Masters, Korea Open, Denmark Open, and Japan Masters. At the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, Fukushima and Matsumoto advanced through the group stage and beat Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in the semi-finals before finishing runners-up to South Korea's Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee. They ended the season ranked fifth in the world.

Awards and nominations

BWF World Tour (14 titles, 13 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.

Women's doubles Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2018 German Open Super 300 Sayaka Hirota Huang Dongping Zheng Yu 18–21, 21–14, 21–6 Winner 2026 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Mayu Matsumoto Liu Shengshu Tan Ning 21–15, 18–21, 21–18 Winner 2026 China Open Super 1000 Mayu Matsumoto Liu Shengshu Tan Ning 14–21, 19–21 Runner-up

BWF Superseries (1 title, 1 runner-up) The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.

Women's doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2017 Malaysia Open Sayaka Hirota Huang Yaqiong Tang Jinhua 21–17, 18–21, 21–12 Winner Sudirman Cup NH S NH A NH B NH A NH

Individual competitions Senior level

Women's singles

Women's doubles

Mixed doubles