Yuna Kato
| Yuna Kato | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yuna Kato | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 June 2002 Gifu, Japan[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Women's doubles | |||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 18 (WD with Rui Hirokami) (23 May 2023) | ||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 68 (WD with Rui Hirokami) (18 March 2025) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| BWF profile | |||||||||||||||
Yuna Kato (加藤 佑奈, Kato Yuna; born 26 June 2002) is a Japanese badminton player.[2]
Career
2022: First World Tour title and world No. 25 ranking
In 2022, Yuna Kato partnered with Rui Hirokami in women's doubles. On the BWF World Tour, they were runners-up at two tournaments: the Taipei Open (Super 300), where they lost to Ng Tsz Yau and Tsang Hiu Yan of Hong Kong, and the Canada Open (Super 100), where they were defeated by fellow Japanese pair Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto.[3][4][5] Kato and Hirokami won their first BWF World Tour title at the Indonesia Masters Super 100, defeating Miyaura and Sakuramoto in the final.[6] The pair also won two International Challenge titles: the Mexican International and the Belgian International.[7] Kato was part of the Japanese team that won a bronze medal at the Asia Team Championships in Selangor. Starting the year unranked, their performances led to a significant rise in their world ranking, reaching World No. 25 by 26 December 2022.
Achievements
BWF World Tour (1 title, 4 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[8] 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.[9]
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Taipei Open | Super 300 | Rui Hirokami | Ng Tsz Yau Tsang Hiu Yan |
15–21, 21–18, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Canada Open | Super 100 | Rui Hirokami | Rena Miyaura Ayako Sakuramoto |
13–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Indonesia Masters | Super 100 | Rui Hirokami | Rena Miyaura Ayako Sakuramoto |
23–21, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2023 | Korea Masters | Super 300 | Rui Hirokami | Jeong Na-eun Kim Hye-jeong |
12–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Orléans Masters | Super 300 | Rui Hirokami | Meilysa Trias Puspita Sari Rachel Allessya Rose |
12–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mexican International | Rui Hirokami | Ayako Sakuramoto Hinata Suzuki |
15–21, 21–19, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2022[10] | Belgian International | Rui Hirokami | Chang Ching-hui Yang Ching-tun |
21–7, 21–15 | Winner |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
BWF Junior International (1 title)
Girls' doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | German Junior | Rui Hirokami | Lee So-yul Yoo A-yeon |
21–13, 21–14 | Winner | [11] |
- BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
References
- ^ a b "選手・スタッフ紹介". Saishunkan-badminton.com. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ "Players: Yuna Kato". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Chui, Shirley (24 July 2022). "Doubles delight for Yoyo Ng at Taipei Open, as Hong Kong badminton player takes mixed and women's titles". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 19 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Taipei Open: Malaysian Duo Stun Olympic Champions". Badminton World Federation. 24 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ Lawrence, Bruno (3 October 2022). "Michelle Li wins at home in Women's Individual – OA Sport". Wire Service Canada. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Indonesia Masters 2022 - Revans' Mission Succeeded, Rui/Yuna Win" (in Indonesian). Djarum Badminton. 24 October 2022. Archived from the original on 19 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Martinez, Sara Gonzalez (19 September 2022). "YONEX Belgian International 2022: Asia wins all the titles". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ Martinez, Sara Gonzalez (2022-09-19). "YONEX Belgian International 2022: Asia wins all the titles". badmintoneurope.com. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ "YONEX German Junior 2020: The winners" (in German). Badminton Germany. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.