# Mayu Matsumoto

Mayu Matsumoto (松本 麻佑, Matsumoto Mayu, born 7 August 1995) is a Japanese badminton player. Born in Hokkaido, she graduated from Shiritsu Towanomorisanai High School. She was part of the Hokuto Bank 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. In 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. She and Nagahara also reached the finals in a Grand Prix event, Russian Open. 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.
Matsumoto and her partner, Nagahara, started the year as a semi-finalists in the Malaysia Masters, Indonesia Masters, and German Open. 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.

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
| BWF Awards | 2018 | Most Improved Player of the Year with Wakana Nagahara | Won | |

## Achievements
### BWF World Championships

Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China | Wakana Nagahara | Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota | 19–21, 21–19, 22–20 | Gold |
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland | Wakana Nagahara | Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota | 21–11, 20–22, 23–21 | Gold |
| 2021 | Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain | Wakana Nagahara | Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan | 15–21, 12–21 | Bronze |
| 2022 | Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Wakana Nagahara | Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan | 13–21, 14–21 | Bronze |

### Asian Championships

Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2019 | Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China | Wakana Nagahara | Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan | 21–19, 14–21, 19–21 | 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 |

### BWF World Tour (6 titles, 12 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 |
| 2018 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Wakana Nagahara | Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota | 14–21, 21–16, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Spain Masters | Super 300 | Wakana Nagahara | Ayako Sakuramoto Yukiko Takahata | 21–17, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2018 | China Open | Super 1000 | Wakana Nagahara | Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi | 16–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | French Open | Super 750 | Wakana Nagahara | Gabriela Stoeva Stefani Stoeva | 21–14, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2018 | Fuzhou China Open | Super 750 | Wakana Nagahara | Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan | 21–23, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Wakana Nagahara | Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan | 21–18, 20–22, 11–21 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | Singapore Open | Super 500 | Wakana Nagahara | Kim Hye-jeong Kong Hee-yong | 21–17, 22–20 | Winner |
| 2019 | Japan Open | Super 750 | Wakana Nagahara | Kim So-yeong Kong Hee-yong | 12–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | Wakana Nagahara | Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan | 14–21, 10–21 | Runner-up |
| 2020 | Denmark Open | Super 750 | Wakana Nagahara | Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota | 10–21, 21–16, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Wakana Nagahara | Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota | 21–18, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2022 | Thailand Open | Super 500 | Wakana Nagahara | Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida | 21–17, 15–21, 24–26 | Runner-up |
| 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 |
| 2024 | Japan Masters | Super 500 | Yuki Fukushima | Liu Shengshu Tan Ning | 15–21, 5–21 | Runner-up |
| 2025 | Malaysia Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima | Jia Yifan Zhang Shuxian | 17–21, 21–15, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2025 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Yuki Fukushima | Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida | 16–21, 21–14, 17–21 | 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 |
| 2015 | Russian Open | Kristína Gavnholt | 10–21, 20–22 | Runner-up |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2014 | Russian Open | Wakana Nagahara | Yuriko Miki Koharu Yonemoto | 17–21, 7–21 | Runner-up |
| 2016 | U.S. Open | Wakana Nagahara | Shiho Tanaka Koharu Yonemoto | 22–20, 15–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2016 | Thailand Open | Wakana Nagahara | Puttita Supajirakul Sapsiree Taerattanachai | 12–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2017 | Canada Open | Wakana Nagahara | Chisato Hoshi Naru Shinoya | 21–16, 16–21, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2017 | U.S. Open | Wakana Nagahara | Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan | 16–21, 13–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
    BWF Grand Prix tournament

### BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)

Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2014 | Indonesia International | Hera Desi | 11–10, 10–11, 11–6, 10–11, 11–9 | Winner |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 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
### Key

| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | G | S | B | NH | N/A | DNQ |

### National team

* Junior level
| Team events | 2013 |
| Asian Junior Championships | B |
* Senior level
| Team events | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Asia Team Championships | NH | G | NH | A | NH | A |
| Uber Cup | NH | S | NH | B | NH | B |
| Sudirman Cup | S | NH | S | NH | B | NH |

### Individual competitions
#### Senior level
##### Women's doubles

| Event | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Asian Championships | A | S | NH | NH | A | B | QF | Q |
| World Championships | G | G | NH | B | B | 3R | NH | |
| Olympic Games | NH | NH | QF | NH | NH | NH | RR | NH |
| Tournament | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | Best | Ref |
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Best | Ref |
| Malaysia Open | A | A | A | A | QF | QF | NH | NH | SF | A | 2R | W | W ('25) |
| India Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | W | QF | W ('24) |
| Indonesia Masters | A | A | A | NH | A | SF | 2R | 2R | A | w/d | w/d | QF | SF ('19) |
| German Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | NH | NH | w/d | QF | A | A | SF ('19) |
| Orléans Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | SF | SF ('25) |
| All England Open | A | A | A | A | SF | F | QF | W | w/d | QF | 1R | F | W ('21) | |
| Spain Masters | NH | NH | NH | NH | W | A | A | A | NH | A | A | NH | W ('18) |
| Thailand Open | NH | A | F | A | QF | QF | w/d | NH | F | A | A | | F ('16, '22) |
| Thailand Open | NH | A | F | A | QF | QF | w/d | NH | F | A | A | | F ('16, '22) |
| Malaysia Masters | A | A | 1R | A | A | SF | w/d | NH | 2R | SF | A | | SF ('19, '23) |
| Singapore Open | A | A | A | A | A | W | NH | NH | A | QF | QF | | W ('19) |
| Indonesia Open | A | A | A | A | F | QF | NH | QF | 1R | SF | SF | | F ('18) |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | QF | NH | NH | QF | QF | A | | QF ('19, '22, '23) |
| U.S. Open | A | 1R | F | F | A | A | NH | NH | NH | A | A | | F ('16, '17) |
| Canada Open | A | QF | A | W | A | A | NH | NH | A | F | A | | W ('17) |
| Japan Open | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | F | NH | NH | QF | SF | 1R | | F ('19) |
| Korea Open | A | A | A | QF | QF | 2R | NH | NH | A | SF | A | | SF ('23) |
| Chinese Taipei Open | 2R | 1R | A | SF | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | | SF ('17) |
| China Open | A | A | A | A | F | 2R | NH | NH | NH | QF | A | | F ('18) |
| Hong Kong Open | A | A | A | QF | 1R | SF | NH | NH | NH | QF | A | | SF ('19) |
| Denmark Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | SF | F | A | 1R | SF | A | | F ('20) |
| French Open | A | A | A | SF | W | SF | NH | A | F | SF | SF | | W ('18) |
| Korea Masters | A | A | QF | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | | QF ('16) |
| Japan Masters | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | SF | F | | F ('24) |
| China Masters | A | A | 2R | 1R | F | SF | NH | NH | NH | QF | SF | | F ('18) |
| BWF Superseries / World Tour Finals | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | SF | F | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | w/d | DNQ | | F ('19) |
| Macau Open | A | A | A | QF | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | | QF ('17) |
| New Zealand Open | A | A | 2R | 2R | A | QF | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | | QF ('19) |
| Russian Open | F | w/d | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | | F ('14) |
| Year-end ranking | 101 | 94 | 32 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 93 | | 1 |
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Best |

##### Mixed doubles

| Tournament | SS / GP | SS / GP | BWF World Tour | Best |
| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | Best |
| German Open | A | A | 1R | 1R ('18) |
| Malaysia Open | A | A | 1R | 1R ('18) |
| Korea Masters | 1R | A | A | 1R ('16) |
| Thailand Open | A | A | QF | QF ('18) |
| Year-end ranking | 521 | N/A | 160 | 148 |
| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | Best |