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
A shekarar 2013, an zaɓi Matsumoto don shiga ƙungiyar matasa ta ƙasa don fafatawa a gasar zakarun Asiya ta matasa . Ta buga wasanni uku a rukuni uku, wato na mata guda ɗaya, na biyu, da na biyu, amma ba ta sami lambar yabo ko ɗaya ba a gasar. Ta lashe lambar tagulla bayan da ƙungiyar Japan ta kammala a wasan kusa da na ƙarshe. A shekarar 2014, ta lashe kofuna biyu, inda ta lashe gasar mata biyu a gasar Smiling Fish International tare da Wakana Nagahara, da kuma gasar mata ɗaya a gasar Indonesia International . [1] [2] Ita da Nagahara suma sun kai wasan ƙarshe a gasar Grand Prix, gasar Russian Open . [3] A shekarar 2015, ta kammala a matsayi na biyu a gasar mata ɗaya a gasar Russian Open, inda ta sha kashi a hannun Czechia Kristina Gavnholt

A shekarar 2016, Matsumoto da Nagahara sun kai zagayen karshe biyu a gasar Grand Prix, wato US Opens da Thailand Opens .   Ta lashe gasar Grand Prix ta farko a gasar Canada Open ta 2017, inda ta lashe gasar mata biyu tare da Nagahara.  Sannan suka daidaita nasarar da suka samu a shekarar da ta gabata a gasar US Open ta hanyar zama na biyu. 

### 2018–2019
Matsumoto ta mayar da hankali kan shiga gasar tseren mata biyu a shekarar 2018. Tare da Nagahara, ta nuna manyan nasarori. Sun lashe lambar zinare a Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya ta 2018,  sun lashe gasar yawon shakatawa ta Duniya sau biyu a gasar Masters ta Spain da French Open,   da kuma 'yan wasa uku da suka zo na biyu a Indonesia, China, da Fuzhou China Open .    A lokacin kakar wasa, 'yan wasan biyu suna inganta matsayinsu daga matsayi na 14 zuwa na 3 a duniya sannan aka ba su lambar yabo a matsayin 'yar wasa mafi kyau a shekarar 2018 ta BWF . 

Matsumoto da abokin tarayyarta, Nagahara, sun fara shekarar a matsayin waɗanda suka yi nasarar shiga zagayen kusa da na ƙarshe a gasar Masters ta Malaysia, Indonesia Masters, da German Open .  Sun lashe kofi ɗaya ne kawai a gasar BWF World Tour, a gasar Singapore Open,  kuma sun zama zakarun ƙarshe a gasar All England Open,  Japan Open,  Asian Championships, da kuma gasar BWF World Tour Finals, inda Chen Qingchen da Jia Yifan suka doke su a wasannin ƙarshe uku (Duk Ingila, Gasar Asiya, da Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya).  An zaɓe ta don ta shiga ƙungiyar Japan Sudirman Cup, inda ƙungiyar ta lashe lambar azurfa a wannan gasar.  Matsumoto da Nagahara sun yi nasarar kare kambunsu na Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya, bayan sun fafata a wasannin roba da suka yi da Yuki Fukushima da Sayaka Hirota waɗanda suka yi nasara a bara. 

### 2021
A watan Maris, Matsumoto da abokiyar zamanta Nagahara sun lashe kambun gasar World Tour Super 1000 ta farko a gasar All England Open inda suka doke 'yan uwansu, zakaran da ke kare kambun, kuma lamba 1 a duniya a yanzu, Yuki Fukushima da Sayaka Hirota a wasan karshe.  Ta fafata a gasar Olympics ta bazara ta 2020 tare da Nagahara a matsayin ta uku, kuma Kim So-yeong da Kong Hee-yong na Koriya ta Kudu sun dakatar da tafiyarta a zagayen kwata na karshe.