Nao Yamakita

Nao Yamakita
Yamakita at the 2025 Kaohsiung Masters
Personal information
Native name
山北 奈緒
Born (2005-10-30) 30 October 2005
Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached byNaru Shinoya
Women's doubles
Career record101 wins, 31 losses (76.52%)
Highest ranking17 (with Hinata Suzuki, 21 July 2026)
Current ranking20 (with Hinata Suzuki, 25 August 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Japan
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place2022 SantanderMixed team
Bronze medal – third place2023 SpokaneGirls' doubles
Asian Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2023 YogyakartaMixed team
Gold medal – first place2023 YogyakartaGirls' doubles

Nao Yamakita (山北 奈緒, Yamakita Nao; born 30 October 2005) is a Japanese badminton player who specializes in women's doubles.[1] A former member of the Japanese national team, she plays for the NTT East team and has reached a career-high world ranking of No. 17 in women's doubles.[2] She won a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Junior Championships and a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships. Yamakita has won two Super 300 titles: her maiden BWF World Tour title at the 2025 Korea Masters and the 2026 Canada Open.

Career

2019–2023: Junior career and first senior title

Yamakita's junior career included winning the U17 mixed doubles title at the 2019 Asian Junior Championships with partner Yudai Okimoto.[3] In 2022, she and Maya Taguchi reached the finals of three European junior tournaments, including the Croatia Junior and Bulgaria Junior Opens.[4][5]

In 2023, Yamakita partnered with Mei Sudo to win the German Junior title.[6] The pair subsequently claimed the gold medal at the Asian Junior Championships by defeating South Korea's Park Seul and Yeon Seo-yeon in the final.[7] They also earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Spokane.[8] Yamakita was part of the Japanese squad that secured its first mixed team gold medal in 11 years at the Asian Junior Championships, as well as a bronze at the World Junior Championships. She made her senior international debut in June 2023 at the Guatemala Future Series, winning the women's doubles title with Sudo and finishing as runner-up in mixed doubles with Kenta Matsukawa.[9]

2024–2025: First World Tour title and world top 40

After joining the NTT East badminton team, Yamakita partnered with Naru Shinoya to win the 2024 Malaysia International.[10] In 2025, she began a partnership with Hinata Suzuki. The duo won the Saipan International and finished as runners-up at both the Northern Marianas Open and the Super 100 Kaohsiung Masters.[11][12][13] In November 2025, Yamakita won her first World Tour title at the Super 300 Korea Masters, defeating Kim So-yeong and Lee Seo-jin in straight games.[14] Following this victory, she reached a career-high world ranking of 37 in women's doubles.

2026: Canada Open title

In May, Yamakita and Suzuki reached the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open. The following month, the pair made their Super 1000 debut at the Indonesia Open, advancing to the second round before losing to world No. 1 Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning.[15] Later in June, Yamakita and Suzuki reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open, where they were defeated by compatriots and eventual champions Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi. In July, Yamakita secured her second Super 300 title at the Canada Open, defeating Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe in the final.[16]

Achievements

World Junior Championships

Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 The Podium, Spokane, United States Japan Mei Sudo United States Francesca Corbett
United States Allison Lee		 21–18, 16–21, 13–21 Gold Bronze [8]

Asian Junior Championships

Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 Among Rogo Sports Hall, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Japan Mei Sudo South Korea Park Seul
South Korea Yeon Seo-yeon		 21–19, 14–21, 23–21 Gold Gold [7]

BWF World Tour (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[17] 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.[18]

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Kaohsiung Masters Super 100 Japan Hinata Suzuki Japan Ririna Hiramoto
Japan Kokona Ishikawa		 16–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [13]
2025 Korea Masters Super 300 Japan Hinata Suzuki South Korea Kim So-yeong
South Korea Lee Seo-jin		 21–18, 25–23 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [14]
2026 Canada Open Super 300 Japan Hinata Suzuki Japan Kaho Osawa
Japan Mai Tanabe		 21–15, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [16]

BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 2 runners-up)

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 Guatemala Future Series Japan Mei Sudo Japan Tomoka Miyazaki
Japan Maya Taguchi		 16–21, 21–14, 25–23 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [9]
2024 Malaysia International Japan Naru Shinoya Japan Hinata Suzuki
Japan An Uesugi		 21–13, 12–21, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [10]
2025 Northern Marianas Open Japan Hinata Suzuki Japan Ririna Hiramoto
Japan Kokona Ishikawa		 17–21, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [12][19]
2025 Saipan International Japan Hinata Suzuki Japan Nanako Hara
Japan Riko Kiyose		 15–13, 8–15, 15–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [11][20]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 Guatemala Future Series Japan Kenta Matsukawa Japan Daigo Tanioka
Japan Maya Taguchi		 18–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [9]
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF Future Series tournament

BWF Junior International (2 titles, 3 runners-up)

Girls' doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2022 Croatia Junior Open Japan Maya Taguchi Japan Rui Kiyama
Japan Kanano Muroya		 19–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [4]
2022 Bulgaria Junior Open Japan Maya Taguchi Japan Rui Kiyama
Japan Kanano Muroya		 14–21, 21–19, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [5]
2022 Malaysia Junior International Japan Maya Taguchi Japan Rui Kiyama
Japan Kanano Muroya		 19–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [21]
2023 German Junior Japan Mei Sudo China Li Huazhou
China Zhang Yuhan		 21–11, 19–21, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [6]
2023 Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Japan Mei Sudo Indonesia Ariella Naqiyyah
Indonesia Rachel Agnesia Sabatini		 21–17, 21–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [22]
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
  BWF Junior International Challenge tournament
  BWF Junior International Series 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 events20222023Ref
Asian Junior Championships NH G [23][24]
World Junior Championships B 5th
  • Senior level
Team events2026Ref
Asia Team Championships 5th [25]

Individual competitions

Junior level

  • Girls' doubles
Events20222023Ref
Asian Junior Championships NH G [7]
World Junior Championships 3R B [8]
  • Mixed doubles
Events20222023Ref
Asian Junior Championships NH 2R
World Junior Championships A QF

Senior level

Women's doubles

Tournament BWF World Tour Best Ref
2023 2024 2025 2026
Swiss Open A 1R 1R ('26)
Ruichang China Masters A QF A QF ('25)
Orléans Masters A 1R 1R ('26)
Thailand Open A QF QF ('26)
Singapore Open A 1R 1R ('26)
Indonesia Open A 2R 2R ('26) [15]
U.S. Open A SF SF ('26)
Canada Open A W W ('26) [16]
Japan Open 1R A QF QF ('26)
China Open A 2R 2R ('26)
Korea Masters 1R A W A W ('25) [14]
Indonesia Masters Super 100 2R A QF A QF ('25)
Japan Masters A 2R 2R ('25)
Year-end ranking — — 41 41
Tournament2023202420252026BestRef

Wins over top-10 ranked pairs

Wins over pairs who were ranked in the world's top 10 at the time the match was played.

# Partner Opponent Rk Tournament Rd Score Rk Ref.
1 Japan Hinata Suzuki Japan Rin Iwanaga
Japan Kie Nakanishi		 7 2026 Japan Open 2R 21–15, 18–21, 21–11 19 [26]

References

  1. ↑ "Nao YAMAKITA | Profile". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Nao YAMAKITA | Profile" (in Japanese). NTT East. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "Indonesia's Rahmat big winner in Badminton Asia Under-17 & Under-15 Junior Championships". Badminton Asia. 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 Galjer, Ratko (21 June 2022). "New talents at the Croatia VALAMAR Junior Open 2022". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  5. 1 2 Honda, Hiroki (27 June 2022). "Bulgaria Junior Open 2022 | Results". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  6. 1 2 "YONEX German Junior: Japan, China and Korea win" (in German). 14 March 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. 1 2 3 "A Special Day for Indonesia in Yogyakarta". Badminton Asia. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. 1 2 3 "Corbett and Lee Chase Gold Medal for USA at BWF World Junior Championships 2023". USA Badminton. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. 1 2 3 "Champions in Guatemala – Pan Am Circuit 2023". Badminton Pan America. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. 1 2 "Men's Doubles Pair Miss Out On Title At Petronas Malaysia International Badminton Challenge 2024". Bernama. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. 1 2 "Champions Crowned at CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International 2025 – Finals Recap". Badminton Oceania. 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Japan Dominates Finals at CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open". Badminton Oceania. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. 1 2 "Kaohsiung Masters 2025 [Super 100] | Results". NTT East (in Japanese). 29 September 2025. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 "[Korea Masters 2025 Super 300] Women's Double: Hinata Suzuki/Nao Yamakita wins!!". SMASH and NET.TV (in Japanese). 9 November 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Badminton Indonesia Open 2026: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 8 June 2026. Archived from the original on 11 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  16. 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.
  17. ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  18. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Sablan Jr., James (12 August 2025). "Japan sweeps Crowne Plaza badminton titles". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  20. ↑ Sablan Jr., James (18 August 2025). "Japan, Korea, and India claim badminton titles in Century Insurance tourney". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  21. ↑ Peter, Fabian (10 September 2022). "Juniors need a booster shot". New Straits Times. Retrieved 25 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  22. ↑ "Jonatan/Adrian Win 2023 Jaya Raya Junior International Grand Prix" (in Indonesian). Media Indonesia. Retrieved 26 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ↑ "A Sweet Ending to an 11-Year Wait". Badminton Asia. 11 July 2023. Archived from the original on 30 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  24. ↑ "[Asian Junior Championships 2023] Japan defeats host Indonesia 3-2! Becomes the Asian champion for the first time in 11 years! <Team Competition/Final>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  25. ↑ "China crush champs India for place in final four Women's Division Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026". Badminton Asia. 6 February 2026. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  26. ↑ "Japan Open 2026 Super 750 second round: Suzuki/Yamakita, Koga/Saito, and Hoki/Kobayashi win all-Japanese clashes". SMASH and NET.TV (in Japanese). 16 July 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
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