🏸 2026 results
Every 2026 result we record for Riko Gunji, tournament by tournament. Tournament names link to our summary page for that event (draw, the other Japanese entries, and how to follow the broadcast). Our tournament pages start with the Japan Open in July, so the seven events below are the ones we cover. The Canada Open in early July has no page on this site, so it appears under career highlights instead.
Daihatsu Japan Open
Super 750・Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Out in the first round 21-18, 20-22, 20-22 to Polina BUHROVA (UKR). She took the opening game and lost the next two, both 20-22. She had reached the semi-finals of this event in 2025, as listed on her club's official page.
China Open
Super 1000・Changzhou, China
She beat SUNG Shuo-Yun (TPE) 21-13, 21-12 in the first round, then lost 10-21, 6-21 to compatriot Akane Yamaguchi (3rd seed) in the second. The two play for the same club, Saishunkan Pharmaceutical, and Yamaguchi went on to win the title.
BWF World Championships 2026
World Championships・New Delhi, India
She was promoted from the reserve list into the main draw on 15 August (announced by the Nippon Badminton Association) — and drew 8th seed Tomoka Miyazaki, a fellow Japanese, in the first round. She lost 21-15, 14-21, 10-21 in 61 minutes, after taking the opening game.
China Masters
Super 750・Shenzhen, China
First round, 15-21, 21-11, 11-21 in 60 minutes to Line CHRISTOPHERSEN (DEN). 🔴This is the same player Gunji had beaten in the Canada Open final two months earlier to win her first Super 300 title (see the two meetings).
All Japan Corporate Championships 2026
Japan national event・White Ring, Nagano, Japan
Japan's national championship for company and club teams. Gunji won the women's singles here in 2024, as listed on her club's official page. We have not been able to confirm the 2026 entry list, and we do not guess who will play.
Asian Games 2026
Asian Games・Ichinomiya, Aichi, Japan
Named in the 10-strong Japan squad announced on 19 May 2026. Gunji is entered for the team event only; in women's singles only Akane Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki have individual entries. The announcement listed her as World No. 22 at that date. The team event runs from 20 to 24 September and the individual event from 25 to 29 September.
Arctic Open 2026
Super 500・Vantaa, Finland
Entries for 2026 have not been published yet. Two Japanese women's singles players were in the 2025 main draw — Akane Yamaguchi and Gunji — and Yamaguchi won the title. We have not confirmed how far Gunji went in 2025, so we do not state it.
Scores are written from Riko Gunji's point of view (Gunji's points first). Only matches completed by 3 September 2026 are listed. Matches in progress are not listed.
🔥 The same opponent, twice
Gunji played Line CHRISTOPHERSEN (DEN) twice in 2026 — in the Canada Open final in July, and in the first round of the China Masters in September.
- 5 July, Canada Open final — 21-15, 15-21, 21-6, and her first title at Super 300 level or above. She had beaten home favourite Michelle LI (CAN) in the semi-finals. BWF reported that Japan swept all five titles at that tournament.
- 1 September, China Masters first round — 15-21, 21-11, 11-21 in 60 minutes against the same player. This time she lost the opening game, levelled the match, and was pulled away from in the decider. (Our China Masters 2026 page.)
Both matches went to three games, and the player who took the opening game won. Michelle Li, whom Gunji beat in the Canada semi-final, was the 13th seed at the 2026 World Championships, where she knocked out Tomoka Miyazaki in the third round. The Canada Open result comes from BWF's own report and her club's official player page — we have no tournament page for that event.
🏆 Career highlights
- 2026 — Canada Open — women's singles champion
Calgary, 5 and 6 July (Super 300). She beat home favourite Michelle Li in the semi-finals and Line Christophersen (DEN) 21-15, 15-21, 21-6 in the final — her first title at Super 300 level or above, in a week when Japan swept all five events (BWF). - 2019 — World Junior Championships — girls' singles gold
Kazan, Russia. She was the third Japanese player to win the girls' singles world junior title. Tomoka Miyazaki, her first-round opponent at the 2026 World Championships, won the same title in 2022. - 2024 — Indonesia Masters Super 100 — champion
Her first BWF World Tour title, in an all-Japanese final against Hina Akechi. The 2026 edition of the same series ran in Pontianak, Indonesia, from 1 to 6 September. - 2024 — All Japan Corporate Championships — champion
Japan's national title for company and club players. The 2026 edition runs from 4 to 9 September at the White Ring in Nagano. - 2026 — Asian Games — named in Japan's squad (team event)
One of the ten women named on 19 May 2026. In women's singles only Akane Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki are entered for the individual event; Gunji and Nozomi Okuhara are in the team event only.
📅 What's next
Gunji is out of the China Masters 2026 (Super 750, Shenzhen), beaten in the first round. The next event on the calendar is the All Japan Corporate Championships from 4 to 9 September in Nagano, which she won in 2024. ⚠️ We have not been able to confirm whether she is entered in 2026.
After that come the 2026 Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Aichi (from 20 to 29 September), where she is entered for the team event only — in women's singles only Akane Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki have individual entries. In October comes the Arctic Open in Finland (from 6 to 11 October), which she played in 2025.
⚠️ Entries for these events have not been published. We do not guess who will play. Linked pages are in Japanese.
👤 Profile
| Name | Riko Gunji (郡司莉子) |
|---|---|
| Event | Women's singles |
| Team | Saishunkan Pharmaceutical (Kumamoto, Japan) |
| Born | 31 July 2002 |
| From | Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (Yatsushiro Shirayuri Gakuen High School) |
| Height | 160cm |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World ranking | World No. 21 as of 1 September 2026 She was also World No. 21 a week earlier, on 25 August 2026. When the Nippon Badminton Association named its Asian Games squad on 19 May 2026 she was World No. 22. World rankings are updated every week, so this is a dated record, not a current figure. Check the BWF website for the latest list. |
Source — Nippon Badminton Association national team page and Saishunkan Pharmaceutical badminton team official player page (in Japanese). This profile only uses what those official pages publish. We do not write about injuries, health or private life.
🔍 Keep your own scoresheet
Most of Gunji's 2026 matches went the distance. Three of the four we record went to three games: she lost the Japan Open first round 20-22, 20-22 after taking the opener, and levelled the China Masters first round 21-11 before losing the decider. A win-loss table reads as "first round, second round, first round, first round" and shows none of that. Keeping the score game by game is what makes it readable.
Badsheet records your own matches point by point, builds an official-style scoresheet and charts win rate and shot placement.
🔗 Related pages
The pages below are written in Japanese, except the ones marked EN.
- BWF World Championships 2026 — From 17 to 23 August, New Delhi. Gunji came in from the reserve list.
- China Masters 2026 — From 1 to 6 September, Shenzhen (Super 750). Out in the first round.
- All Japan Corporate Championships 2026 — From 4 to 9 September, Nagano. Gunji won this title in 2024.
- Asian Games 2026 badminton — From 20 to 29 September, Ichinomiya, Aichi. Team event only.
- Daihatsu Japan Open 2026 — From 14 to 19 July, Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Super 750).
- China Open 2026 — From 21 to 26 July, Changzhou (Super 1000).
- Arctic Open 2026 — From 6 to 11 October, Vantaa, Finland (Super 500).
- Tomoka Miyazaki — 2026 results EN — Her first-round opponent at the 2026 World Championships.
- Akane Yamaguchi — 2026 results EN — Her club-mate at Saishunkan, and her China Open second-round opponent.
- Player pages on this site EN — Every 2026 player page we publish.
- Badminton tournament hub — Every tournament page on this site.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Who does Riko Gunji play for?
Saishunkan Pharmaceutical, a company team based in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The Nippon Badminton Association's national team page lists her team as Saishunkan Pharmaceutical. She was born on 31 July 2002, is 160cm, right-handed, from Kanagawa Prefecture, and went to Yatsushiro Shirayuri Gakuen High School. Her club's own player page gives the same date of birth, height and home town of Ebina in Kanagawa, and lists her with squad number 2. Akane Yamaguchi plays for the same club. This profile only uses information published officially.
What is Riko Gunji's world ranking?
World No. 21 in women's singles as of 1 September 2026. She was also World No. 21 a week earlier, on 25 August 2026. When the Nippon Badminton Association named its Asian Games squad on 19 May 2026, she was World No. 22. World rankings are updated every week, so please read this as a dated record rather than a current figure, and check the BWF website for the latest list.
Has Riko Gunji won a tournament in 2026?
Yes. She won the women's singles at the Canada Open (Super 300) in Calgary in July 2026. She beat home favourite Michelle Li in the semi-finals and Line Christophersen of Denmark 21-15, 15-21, 21-6 in the final. It was her first title at Super 300 level or above, and Japan swept all five events that week. We do not have a tournament page for the Canada Open, so this result is taken from BWF's own report and from her club's official player page.
How far did Riko Gunji go at the 2026 World Championships?
To the first round. She was not in the original entry: the Nippon Badminton Association announced on 15 August 2026 that she had been promoted from the reserve list, taking the place of Clara Azurmendi of Spain, who withdrew after the draw. That put her against 8th seed Tomoka Miyazaki in the first round — an all-Japanese opener. She lost 21-15, 14-21, 10-21 in 61 minutes after taking the first game. Both players are former world junior champions: Gunji in 2019 and Miyazaki in 2022.
What are Riko Gunji's 2026 results so far?
In the events we cover with a tournament page: first round at the Daihatsu Japan Open (Super 750, Tokyo) in July, second round at the China Open (Super 1000, Changzhou) in July, first round at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi in August, and first round at the China Masters (Super 750, Shenzhen) in September. She lost 21-18, 20-22, 20-22 to Polina Buhrova (UKR) at the Japan Open; beat Sung Shuo-Yun (TPE) 21-13, 21-12 before losing 10-21, 6-21 to Akane Yamaguchi at the China Open; lost 21-15, 14-21, 10-21 to Tomoka Miyazaki at the World Championships; and lost 15-21, 21-11, 11-21 to Line Christophersen at the China Masters. Separately, she won the Canada Open (Super 300) in July, an event we have no page for. We do not publish results of matches that have not finished.
Is Riko Gunji a world junior champion?
Yes. She won the girls' singles at the 2019 BWF World Junior Championships in Kazan, Russia, becoming the third Japanese player to take that title. She was still at Yatsushiro Shirayuri Gakuen High School at the time, and in the same year she also won the girls' singles at the All Japan High School Championships. Tomoka Miyazaki, who beat her in the first round of the 2026 World Championships, won the same junior title in 2022.
Is Riko Gunji playing at the 2026 Asian Games?
She is in the 10-strong Japan squad announced on 19 May 2026, but entered for the team event only. In women's singles only Akane Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki have individual entries; Nozomi Okuhara is also in the team event only. The team event runs from 20 to 24 September and the individual event from 25 to 29 September, at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi. The May announcement is a provisional squad rather than a final entry, so please check the association and the organisers for the confirmed list.
Where can I watch her matches?
It depends on the tournament. Each of our tournament pages has a section on how to find the broadcast and streaming options for that event, so start from the results cards above. We do not state broadcast plans that have not been confirmed — Japanese broadcasters and streaming services are usually announced close to the tournament, so please check the tournament website and BWF for the latest. Schedules and results for the domestic All Japan Corporate Championships are published on the tournament's own website.
📮 Corrections and removal. This is an unofficial summary built from published information. If anything here is factually wrong, or if the player or their team would like this page taken down, please contact us and we will correct or remove it promptly. We do not publish anything about injuries, health or private life.
Last updated . Sources — Nippon Badminton Association national team page, Saishunkan Pharmaceutical badminton team official player page, match results recorded on our own tournament pages (each confirmed against two sources), and the BWF World Ranking as of 1 September 2026. Japanese version: https://takeorilab.ybcjr.com/senshu/gunji-riko/