# Hiroki Midorikawa

Hiroki Midorikawa (緑川 大輝, Midorikawa Hiroki, born 17 May 2000) is a Japanese badminton player. He is a member of the Japanese national team and is currently competing in mixed doubles with Natsu Saito and men's doubles with Kyohei Yamashita. Midorikawa has won two mixed doubles Super 500 titles.

## Early life

Born in Saitama Prefecture on 17 May 2000, Hiroki Midorikawa began playing badminton at the age of seven, influenced by his parents and older sister. Midorikawa resides in Sayama City and attended Sanno Elementary, followed by Saitama Sakae Junior and Senior High School. In his third year of junior high, he won the team competition and was the runner-up in singles at the National Junior High School Tournament. In 2017, he won the doubles competition at the All Japan Junior Championships.
Midorikawa describes himself as "self-paced and positive." When a shoulder injury prevented him from smashing, instead of being discouraged, he proactively used the opportunity to improve the precision of his drop shots and clears, as well as his footwork. Midorikawa also views his small stature as an advantage, believing that his high energy and greater mobility allow him to overcome any perceived limitations that are typically associated with being a shorter badminton player. This contrasts with the common belief that taller players with longer limbs have a natural advantage in badminton.
Midorikawa's primary focus is mixed doubles, where he partners with Natsu Saito. Saito was his classmate at Saitama Sakae Junior and Senior High School, and they began playing together in their second year of high school.
From 2019 to 2023, Midorikawa studied sports science at Waseda University.

## Career
### 2023: Joins NTT East and wins first Super 500 title

After graduating from university, Midorikawa joined the NTT East badminton team in April 2023. He and Saito were then promoted to the Japanese A national team, which was coached by Jeremy Gan. Midorikawa's first year on the A team was marked by winning his first Super 500 title at the Canada Open against Denmark's Mathias Thyrri and Amalie Magelund. He also finished as a runner-up at the Australian Open, losing to China's Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, and reached the semi-finals of both the Hong Kong Open and the Arctic Open.

### 2024: Indonesia Masters runner up, All Japan Champion

Midorikawa and Saito best achievement in 2024 was runner-up in the Indonesia Masters. The duo were defeated by number 1 seed Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong in straight game.

### 2025: Indonesia Masters title

Midorikawa was selected for the 2025 Japanese National Team in two events. In mixed doubles, he is partnering with Saito, now coached by Norio Imai following Jeremy Gan's departure to coach the Hong Kong team. In men's doubles he is partnering with Kyohei Yamashita and coached by Lee Wan Wah and Hiroyuki Endo.
In January, Midorikawa and Saito won the Indonesia Masters title by defeating Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui of China in the final. Their path to the victory included defeating second seeds Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai of Malaysia in the quarterfinals, followed by Rinov Rivaldy and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati of Indonesia in the semifinals.
In February, Midorikawa represented Japan at the 2025 Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. Partnering with Saito in mixed doubles, they won two matches and lost one. In the group stage, they lost a close match to Supak Jomkoh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand despite having two match points. They won against India's Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto in the quarterfinals and China's Gao Jiaxuan and Wu Mengying in the semifinals. Ultimately, Japan was defeated 2–3 by China in the semifinals, earning the team a bronze medal.

## Personal life

Midorikawa announced his marriage on his X (formerly known as Twitter) on 4 February 2025, stating that he and his long-time partner registered their marriage on 2 February 2025. He also expressed hope for continued support.

## Achievements
### BWF World Tour (2 titles, 3 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.
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2022 | Canada Open | Super 100 | Natsu Saito | Ye Hong-wei Lee Chia-hsin | 21–12, 12–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Canada Open | Super 500 | Natsu Saito | Mathias Thyrri Amalie Magelund | 21–17, 16–21, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2023 | Australian Open | Super 500 | Natsu Saito | Feng Yanzhe Huang Dongping | 14–21, 21–16, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Indonesia Masters | Super 500 | Natsu Saito | Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong | 15–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2025 | Indonesia Masters | Super 500 | Natsu Saito | Guo Xinwa Chen Fanghui | 21–15, 21–17 | Winner |

### BWF International Challenge/Series (8 titles)

Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2019 | Malaysia International | Kyohei Yamashita | Liang Weikeng Shang Yichen | 18–21, 21–10, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2023 | Osaka International | Kyohei Yamashita | Wei Chun-wei Wu Guan-xun | 21–14, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2024 | Sydney International | Kyohei Yamashita | Lai Po-yu Tsai Fu-cheng | 21–14, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2024 | North Harbour International | Kyohei Yamashita | Lai Po-yu Tsai Fu-cheng | 16–21, 21–14, 21–14 | Winner |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2019 | Waikato International | Natsu Saito | Simon Leung Gronya Somerville | 21–15, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2019 | Vietnam International | Natsu Saito | Vichayapong Kanjanakeereewong Ruethaichanok Laisuan | 21–16, 21–8 | Winner |
| 2021 | Belgian International | Natsu Saito | Jesper Toft Clara Graversen | 21–18, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2022 | Belgian International | Natsu Saito | Chiu Hsiang-chieh Lin Xiao-min | 21–13, 21–17 | Winner |
    BWF International Challenge tournament
    BWF International Series tournament