Kyohei Yamashita

Kyōhei Yamashita
Yamashita at the 2025 Taipei Open
Personal information
Native name
山下 恭平
Born (1998-10-12) October 12, 1998
Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight69 kg (152 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached byTaichi Saito
Men's & mixed doubles
Highest ranking17 (MD with Hiroki Midorikawa, 10 March 2026)
13 (XD with Naru Shinoya, 27 December 2022)
Current ranking49 (MD with Hiroki Okamura, 25 August 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2021 HuelvaMixed doubles
Sudirman Cup
Bronze medal – third place2023 SuzhouMixed team
Bronze medal – third place2025 XiamenMixed team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place2022 HangzhouMen's team
Asian Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place2016 BangkokMixed team

Kyohei Yamashita (山下 恭平, Yamashita Kyōhei; born 12 October 1998) is a Japanese badminton player from Okayama Prefecture who competes in men's and mixed doubles.[2] A member of the Japanese national team, he plays for the NTT East team[3] and has reached career-high world rankings of No. 13 in mixed doubles and No. 17 in men's doubles. Yamashita won a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the 2021 World Championships and two Super 300 titles: his maiden BWF World Tour title at the 2026 U.S. Open and the 2026 Canada Open. He has represented Japan in team competitions, winning bronze medals at the 2022 Asian Games and the Sudirman Cup in 2023 and 2025.

Early career

In 2016, Yamashita competed at junior international level, partnering Naoki Yamazawa in boys' doubles. The pair finished as runners-up at the Dutch Junior before winning the German Junior; they faced Hiroki Okamura and Masayuki Onodera in both finals.[4][5] That year, Yamashita also represented Japan at the Asian Junior Championships in Bangkok, where the team won a bronze medal.[6]

Career

2019–2021: World Championship bronze

Yamashita and Naru Shinoya began competing together in mixed doubles on the BWF World Tour. In 2019, they reached the final of the Akita Masters (Super 100), losing to South Korea's Ko Sung-hyun and Eom Hye-won.[7] That same year, Yamashita won the Malaysia International in men's doubles with Hiroki Midorikawa.[8]

In 2021, Yamashita and Shinoya made their Super 750 debut at the Indonesia Masters, where they were eliminated in the first round. They subsequently competed in their first Super 1000 tournament at the Indonesia Open, advancing to the second round. The pair concluded the season at the World Championships in Huelva, winning a bronze medal following a semifinal loss to compatriots Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino.[9]

2022–2023: World top 15 and team medals

Yamashita and Shinoya reached a career-high mixed doubles world ranking of 13 in December 2022. Their 2022 season was highlighted by quarterfinal appearances at the Denmark Open and the Australian Open. In 2023, the pair reached the semifinals of the German Open and the Canada Open, as well as the quarterfinals of the All England Open. In men's doubles, Yamashita and Midorikawa won the Osaka International in 2023.[10] Yamashita also contributed to Japan's bronze-medal finishes in the team competitions at the 2022 Asian Games and 2023 Sudirman Cup.

2024–2025: World top 30 and first Super 500 final

Yamashita and Shinoya began the year pursuing qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics in mixed doubles. The pair did not qualify, and their partnership ended in April when Shinoya retired from the national team.[11] Yamashita then resumed his men's doubles partnership with Midorikawa. They won consecutive titles at the Sydney International and the North Harbour International.[12][13] Domestically, the duo won three major titles that year: the Japan Ranking Circuit, the All Japan Members Championships, and the All Japan Championships.[14][15][16]

In 2025, Yamashita and Midorikawa reached the semifinals of the Swiss Open, having defeated the world No. 2 pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in the first round,[17][18] and also advanced to the semifinals at the Taipei Open. Yamashita also won another bronze medal with the Japanese team at the Sudirman Cup.[19] The pair reached a career-high men's doubles ranking of 25 in September 2025 and finished the season as runners-up at the Super 500 Japan Masters, losing the final to South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae.[20]

2026: Maiden World Tour titles

In January, Yamashita and Midorikawa reached their first final of the year at the Super 750 India Open, finishing as runners-up to China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.[21] On 10 March 2026, the pair reached a career-high world ranking of No. 17. However, they subsequently ended their partnership, and Yamashita teamed up with his former junior rival, Hiroki Okamura. In their second tournament together, Yamashita and Okamura finished as runners-up at the Super 300 Orléans Masters in March.[22] In June, Yamashita secured his maiden BWF World Tour title by winning the Super 300 U.S. Open, defeating the Taiwanese pair Chen Zhi-ray and Lin Yu-chieh in the final.[23] They followed this with a second consecutive title at the Super 300 Canada Open in July, where they defeated the Danish pair Christian Faust Kjær and Rasmus Kjær.[24]

Achievements

World Championships

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2021 Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín,
Huelva, Spain		 Japan Naru Shinoya Japan Yuta Watanabe
Japan Arisa Higashino		 13–21, 8–21 Bronze Bronze [9]

BWF World Tour (2 titles, 4 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[25] 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.[26]

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Japan Masters Super 500 Japan Hiroki Midorikawa South Korea Kim Won-ho
South Korea Seo Seung-jae		 22–20, 11–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [20]
2026 India Open Super 750 Japan Hiroki Midorikawa China Liang Weikeng
China Wang Chang		 21–17, 23–25, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [21]
2026 Orléans Masters Super 300 Japan Hiroki Okamura China Hu Keyuan
China Lin Xiangyi		 19–21, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [22]
2026 U.S. Open Super 300 Japan Hiroki Okamura Chinese Taipei Chen Zhi-ray
Chinese Taipei Lin Yu-chieh		 21–18, 16–21, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [23]
2026 Canada Open Super 300 Japan Hiroki Okamura Denmark Christian Faust Kjær
Denmark Rasmus Kjær		 13–21, 21–10, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [24]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 Akita Masters Super 100 Japan Naru Shinoya South Korea Ko Sung-hyun
South Korea Eom Hye-won		 10–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [7]

BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles)

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 Malaysia International Japan Hiroki Midorikawa China Liang Weikeng
China Shang Yichen		 18–21, 21–10, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [8]
2023 Osaka International Japan Hiroki Midorikawa Chinese Taipei Wei Chun-wei
Chinese Taipei Wu Guan-xun		 21–14, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [10]
2024 Sydney International Japan Hiroki Midorikawa Chinese Taipei Lai Po-yu
Chinese Taipei Tsai Fu-cheng		 21–14, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [12]
2024 North Harbour International Japan Hiroki Midorikawa Chinese Taipei Lai Po-yu
Chinese Taipei Tsai Fu-cheng		 16–21, 21–14, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [13]
  BWF International Challenge tournament

BWF Junior International (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Boys' doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2016 Dutch Junior Japan Naoki Yamazawa Japan Hiroki Okamura
Japan Masayuki Onodera		 21–17, 11–21, 20–22 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [4]
2016 German Junior Japan Naoki Yamazawa Japan Hiroki Okamura
Japan Masayuki Onodera		 21–14, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [5]
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament

Performance timeline

Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A G S B NH N/A DNQ
(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

National team

  • Junior level
Team events2016Ref
Asian Junior Championships B [6]
  • Senior level
Team events20222023202420252026Ref
Asian Games B NH A
Sudirman Cup NH B NH B NH [27]

Individual competitions

Senior level

Men's doubles
Tournament BWF World Tour Best Ref
2018 2019 2023 2024 2025 2026
Malaysia Open A 2R 2R ('26) [28]
India Open A F F ('26) [29][21]
Indonesia Masters A QF 2R QF ('25) [30]
Swiss Open A SF 2R SF ('25) [17][31]
Orléans Masters A 2R F F ('26) [22]
Thailand Open A 2R 1R 2R ('25) [32]
Baoji China Masters N/A QF A QF ('24)
Malaysia Masters A 2R A 2R ('25) [33]
Singapore Open A 1R A 1R ('25)
Indonesia Open A 1R A 1R ('25) [34]
Australian Open A 1R A 1R ('25) [35]
U.S. Open A W W ('26) [23]
Canada Open A W W ('26) [24]
Japan Open A 2R A 2R ('25)
Taipei Open A SF SF SF ('25, '26)
China Masters A 1R Q 1R ('25) [36]
Hong Kong Open A 1R 1R ('25)
Korea Open A 2R 2R ('25)
Denmark Open A 1R 1R ('25) [37]
French Open A 1R 1R ('25) [38]
Japan Masters N/A A F F ('25) [20]
Syed Modi International A 1R A 1R ('23)
Indonesia Masters Super 100 A 1R A 1R ('19)
Akita Masters QF A N/A QF ('18)
Year-end ranking 265 214 211 131 26 26
Tournament201820192023202420252026BestRef
Mixed doubles
Event2021202220232024Ref
Asian Championships NH QF 1R 1R
Asian Games NH 1R NH
World Championships B 3R 2R NH [9]
Tournament BWF World Tour Best Ref
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Malaysia Open A NH 1R 1R 2R 2R ('24)
India Open A NH A QF 1R QF ('23)
Indonesia Masters A 1R A 2R 2R 2R ('23,'24)
Thailand Masters A 2R NH A QF QF ('24) [39]
German Open A NH 1R SF A SF ('23)
French Open A NH A 2R 2R 1R 2R ('22,'23)
All England Open A 1R QF 1R QF ('23) [40][41]
Swiss Open A NH A 1R 2R A 2R ('23)
Thailand Open A NH QF A QF ('22)
Malaysia Masters A NH 1R QF A QF ('23)
Singapore Open A NH A 1R A 1R ('23)
Indonesia Open A 2R 1R 1R A 2R ('21)
Australian Open A NH QF QF A QF ('22,'23)
Canada Open A NH A SF A SF ('23)
Japan Open A NH 1R 1R A 1R ('22,'23)
Korea Open A NH A 1R A 1R ('23)
Hong Kong Open A NH 1R A 1R ('23)
Vietnam Open 2R NH A 2R ('19)
China Open A NH 2R A 2R ('23)
Denmark Open A QF 1R A QF ('22)
Japan Masters N/A QF A QF ('23)
China Masters A NH 2R A 2R ('23)
Syed Modi International A NH A QF A QF ('23)
Indonesia Masters Super 100 1R NH A 1R ('19)
Akita Masters F NH N/A F ('19) [7]
Year-end ranking 73 73 42 13 17 60 13
Tournament201920202021202220232024BestRef

Record against selected opponents

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 12 March 2026.[42]

References

  1. 1 2 "選手プロフィール". Nippon Badminton Association. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Players: Kyohei Yamashita". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "選手・スタッフ紹介 山下 恭平" (in Japanese). NTT東日本. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  4. 1 2 Myojin, Kenichi (7 March 2016). "Dutch Junior Championships 2016 | Reports". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 Myojin, Kenichi (16 March 2016). "German Junior Championships 2016 | Reports". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 15 April 2016.
  6. 1 2 "[Tournament Information] Japan Wins Bronze Medal in Team Competition at Asian Junior 2016" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 "[Akita Masters 2019] Previous Champions Sakuramoto & Takahata Achieve Their Second Consecutive Victory!<Final-2>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. 1 2 "[Malaysia International Challenge 2019] Agatha/Yulfira Raih Runner Up" (in Indonesian). Djarum Badminton. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. 1 2 3 "Japanese Players Reach Three Finals at Badminton World Championships". The Japan Times. 19 December 2021. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  10. 1 2 "[Osaka International 2023] Japanese athletes perform well! Yushi Tanaka, Shiori Saito, Yamashita & Midorikawa win! <Final Results>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ "[All Japan Badminton Championships 2024] "I was able to finish the year with the best possible result." (Naru Shinoya) "I enjoyed all five matches. Next, I will do my best to win the men's doubles." (Kazuki Shibata) <Player Comments/Finals-4>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 30 December 2024. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Roketto Sydney International Finals Recap". Badminton Oceania. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. 1 2 "MAXX North Harbour International Finals Wrap". Badminton Oceania. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ↑ "[Japan Ranking Circuit 2024] Men's Doubles Champions: Yamashita & Midorikawa! Otake & Takahashi Win Women's Doubles for the Second Time! <Finals Results / Doubles>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ "[All-Japan Members Championships 2024] Koga & Fukushima Win Their First Mixed Doubles Title! Yamashita & Midorikawa, Nakanishi & Iwanaga Also Crowned the Champions! <Doubles Results>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ "[All Japan Badminton Championships 2024] Kyohei Yamashita & Hiroki Midorikawa Win the Fiercely Contested Men's Doubles! Secure Their First Victory in the Event! <Finals / Men's Doubles Results>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. 1 2 "Sze Fei-Izzuddin lead men's doubles exodus at Swiss Open". New Straits Times. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ↑ Liew, Vincent (22 March 2025). "Chen Yufei, Christo Popov Advance to 2025 Swiss Open Final". BadmintonPlanet.com. Retrieved 31 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. ↑ "Defending champions China power past Japan to reach Sudirman Cup final". nst.com.my. New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  20. 1 2 3 "Kumamoto Masters: Kim/Seo Equal 37-Year Record". Badminton World Federation. 16 November 2025. Archived from the original on 17 November 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  21. 1 2 3 "India Open 2026 badminton: Olympic champion An Se-young defends title; Lin Chun-yi clinches maiden Super 750 crown". International Olympic Committee. 18 January 2026. Archived from the original on 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 "Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi win the men's doubles title in Orléans !". Orléans Masters Badminton. 22 March 2026. Archived from the original on 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  23. 1 2 3 "US Open: Su, Christophersen Break Title Jinx". Badminton World Federation. 29 June 2026. Archived from the original on 29 June 2026. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  24. 1 2 3 "Canada Open: Clean Sweep by Japan". Badminton World Federation. 6 July 2026. Archived from the original on 6 July 2026. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  25. ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  26. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  27. ↑ "China in 16th Successive Final". bwfbadminton.com. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  28. ↑ "Petronas Malaysia Open Day 3: Malaysia Secures Quarter-final Presence Amid Mixed Fortunes". Badminton Association of Malaysia. 8 January 2026. Archived from the original on 11 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  29. ↑ Mookherjee, Tanmoy (15 January 2026). "India Open: Midorikawa, Yamashita Dash Home Hopes". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  30. ↑ Martinez, Sara Gonzalez (22 January 2026). "Lundgaard/Vestergaard continue their strong run in Jakarta". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  31. ↑ Nalwala, Ali Asgar (13 March 2026). "Swiss Open 2026 badminton: Kiran George ousted in second round". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  32. ↑ Kirubashini, R (15 May 2025). "Aaron-Wooi Yik march into Thailand Open quarters". The Star. Retrieved 12 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  33. ↑ Tan, Ming Wai (22 May 2025). "Wei Chong-Kai Wun back in business at Malaysia Masters". New Straits Times. Retrieved 12 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  34. ↑ "Badminton Indonesia Open 2025: Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 2 June 2025. Archived from the original on 23 April 2026. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  35. ↑ "Badminton Australian Open 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 16 November 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  36. ↑ "Badminton China Masters 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 15 September 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  37. ↑ "Badminton Denmark Open 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 14 October 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  38. ↑ "Badminton French Open 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 21 October 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  39. ↑ "Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2024". Orléans Masters. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  40. ↑ "All-English clash on first day of YONEX All England Open". Badminton England. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  41. ↑ "All England 2023 - Lolos Semifinal Super 1000, Rehan: Rasanya Gila!" (in Indonesian). Djarum Badminton. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  42. ↑ "Kyohei YAMASHITA – Head To Head". Badminton World Federations. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
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