🏸 2026 results
Every 2026 result we record for Kenta Nishimoto, 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 eight events below are the ones we cover; events from January to June are not listed because we have no page for them.
Daihatsu Japan Open
Super 750・Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Out in the first round at home in Tokyo, 14-21, 11-21 to Alwi FARHAN (INA) — one match and done. Farhan was World No. 11 in men's singles on 1 September 2026.
China Open
Super 1000・Changzhou, China
First round again, 10-21, 10-21 to LOH Kean Yew (SGP). Two opening-round exits in two weeks made July the low point of his season — and one month later he beat the 5th seed at the World Championships.
BWF World Championships 2026
World Championships・New Delhi, India
The biggest win of his 2026. Unseeded, he beat 5th seed Christo POPOV (FRA) 21-17, 21-19 in 64 minutes in the first round — a match BWF had flagged as one to watch. In the second round NG Ka Long Angus (HKG) came back to win 21-17, 16-21, 18-21 in 79 minutes, Nishimoto having taken the opening game 21-17.
China Masters
Super 750・Shenzhen, China
He beat Rasmus GEMKE (DEN) 21-17, 21-14 in 51 minutes in the first round, but lost to 5th seed Anders ANTONSEN (DEN) 11-21, 9-21 (36 minutes) in the second round on 3 September — another Dane, and this time Nishimoto did not reach double figures in either game.
Asian Games 2026
Asian Games・Ichinomiya, Aichi, Japan
Named in the 10-strong Japan squad announced on 19 May 2026. In men's singles only Kodai Naraoka and Nishimoto are entered for both the team and the individual events — Yushi Tanaka and Koki Watanabe are 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 same prefecture as his club.
Arctic Open 2026
Super 500・Vantaa, Finland
The first week of the European autumn swing. Entries for 2026 have not been published yet. Six Japanese men's singles players were in the 2025 main draw, Nishimoto and Kodai Naraoka among them (Naraoka's quarter-final was Japan's best result in the event). We do not name entries before the draw is published.
HYLO Open 2026
Super 500・Saarbrücken, Germany
The last week of the European swing. Nishimoto was the only Japanese player in the 2025 main draw, losing the first round 20-22, 19-21 to Julien CARRAGGI (BEL). Entries for 2026 have not been published yet. No player from China, Korea or Hong Kong entered any of the five events in 2025.
S/J League 2026-27
Japan domestic league・JTEKT Stingers, men's S block
Japan's top domestic league. The league's own beginners' guide lists Nishimoto (JTEKT Stingers) alongside Kento Momota, Koki Watanabe and Takuro Hoki as the men to watch (as published on 29 August 2026). The regular season runs from 31 October to 31 January, with the TOP4 Tournament on 20 and 21 February at Yokohama BUNTAI. Line-ups for each fixture are announced by the clubs.
Scores are written from Kenta Nishimoto's point of view (Nishimoto's points first). Only matches completed by 5 September 2026 are listed. Matches in progress are not listed.
🔥 World Championships 2026
Nishimoto went into the 2026 World Championships in New Delhi without a seeding — and drew the 5th seed, Christo POPOV of France, in the first round. It was the hardest opener any of the three Japanese men's singles players got.
- 18 August, first round — Christo POPOV (FRA, 5th seed) 21-17, 21-19 in 64 minutes. BWF had listed this as one of the close first rounds to watch, and Nishimoto took it in straight games. It was Japan's second seed upset in two days, after Yushi Tanaka beat the 16th seed on day one.
- 19 August, second round — NG Ka Long Angus (HKG) 21-17, 16-21, 18-21 in 79 minutes. Nishimoto took the opening game and lost the next two.
Every score above comes from our own 2026 World Championships page, where Akane Yamaguchi took silver and Nozomi Okuhara reached the quarter-finals.
🏆 Career highlights
- 2026 — World Championships — beat the 5th seed in round one
New Delhi, 18 August. Unseeded, he beat Christo Popov (FRA, 5th seed) 21-17, 21-19 in 64 minutes, in a match BWF had flagged as one of the close first rounds. - 2026 — Asian Games — named in Japan's squad
One of the ten men named on 19 May 2026. In men's singles only he and Kodai Naraoka are entered for both the team and the individual events. - 2018 — Asian Games — men's singles bronze
Jakarta and Palembang. He also took bronze in the men's team event at the same Games. The next Asian Games are in Aichi, Japan, in September 2026. - 2017 — Summer Universiade — men's singles silver
Taipei, where he also took silver in the mixed team event. He was a student at Chuo University at the time. - 2026 — Badminton Asia Team Championships — men's team gold
Qingdao. Nishimoto has a long record in team competition: two silvers and two bronzes at the Sudirman Cup, and one silver and two bronzes at the Thomas Cup.
📅 What's next
At the China Masters 2026 (Super 750, Shenzhen, from 1 to 6 September), Nishimoto beat Rasmus GEMKE (DEN) 21-17, 21-14 in the first round, but lost to 5th seed Anders ANTONSEN (DEN) 11-21, 9-21 in the second round on 3 September, ending his run there.
Next come the 2026 Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Aichi (from 20 to 29 September), where he is entered for both the team and the individual events — in men's singles only he and Kodai Naraoka are. Aichi is also where his club is based. In October come the Arctic Open in Finland (from 6 to 11 October) and the HYLO Open in Germany (from 27 October to 1 November), both of which he played in 2025, and the S/J League starts on 31 October.
⚠️ Entries for the two European events have not been published. We do not guess who will play. Linked pages are in Japanese.
👤 Profile
| Name | Kenta Nishimoto (西本拳太) |
|---|---|
| Event | Men's singles |
| Team | JTEKT Stingers (Aichi, Japan) |
| Born | 30 August 1994 |
| From | Mie Prefecture, Japan (Chuo University) |
| Height | 181cm |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World ranking | World No. 26 as of 1 September 2026 He was also World No. 26 a week earlier, on 25 August 2026. When the Nippon Badminton Association named its Asian Games squad on 19 May 2026 he was World No. 17. 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 JTEKT 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
In 2026 Nishimoto's matches got closer as the events got bigger. He did not reach 15 points in any of the four games he played in July, then beat the 5th seed 21-17, 21-19 at the World Championships and pushed the next round to 79 minutes after taking the opener 21-17. A win-loss table cannot show 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. Nishimoto beat the 5th seed in round one.
- China Masters 2026 — From 1 to 6 September, Shenzhen (Super 750). Won round one, lost round two to the 5th seed.
- Asian Games 2026 badminton — From 20 to 29 September, Ichinomiya, Aichi. Entered for both events.
- 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).
- HYLO Open 2026 — From 27 October to 1 November, Saarbrücken, Germany (Super 500).
- S/J League 2026-27 — Japan's top domestic league. JTEKT Stingers play in the men's S block.
- Kodai Naraoka — 2026 results EN — Japan's other men's singles standout — silver medallist at the 2026 World Championships, World No. 8.
- Akane Yamaguchi — 2026 results EN — Women's singles, silver at the 2026 World Championships.
- Anders Antonsen — 2026 results EN — Denmark, World No. 5 as of 1 September 2026. He beat Nishimoto in the China Masters second round.
- 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 Kenta Nishimoto play for?
JTEKT, a company team based in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The Nippon Badminton Association's national team page lists his team as JTEKT; in the domestic S/J League the team is called JTEKT Stingers and plays in the men's S block in 2026-27. He was born on 30 August 1994, is 181cm, right-handed, from Mie Prefecture, and went to Chuo University. His club's own player page gives the same height, home prefecture and playing hand, and lists him with squad number 51. This profile only uses information published officially.
What is Kenta Nishimoto's world ranking?
World No. 26 in men's singles as of 1 September 2026. He was also World No. 26 a week earlier, on 25 August 2026. When the Nippon Badminton Association named its Asian Games squad on 19 May 2026, he was World No. 17. 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.
How far did Kenta Nishimoto go at the 2026 World Championships?
To the second round. Unseeded, he beat 5th seed Christo Popov (FRA) 21-17, 21-19 in 64 minutes in the first round — a match BWF had listed as one of the close openers, and Japan's second seed upset in two days after Yushi Tanaka beat the 16th seed. In the second round he lost to Ng Ka Long Angus (HKG) 21-17, 16-21, 18-21 in 79 minutes, after taking the opening game.
What are Kenta Nishimoto'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, first round at the China Open (Super 1000, Changzhou) in July, and second round at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi in August. He lost 14-21, 11-21 to Alwi Farhan (INA) at the Japan Open and 10-21, 10-21 to Loh Kean Yew (SGP) at the China Open, then beat 5th seed Christo Popov 21-17, 21-19 at the World Championships before losing 21-17, 16-21, 18-21 to Ng Ka Long Angus. At the China Masters 2026, which started on 1 September, he beat Rasmus Gemke (DEN) 21-17, 21-14 in the first round but lost 11-21, 9-21 to 5th seed Anders Antonsen (DEN) in the second round on 3 September.
How old is Kenta Nishimoto?
He was born on 30 August 1994 and is 32 as of 2 September 2026. He is on the Nippon Badminton Association's men's national team. The oldest results listed on this page are his men's singles silver at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei and his men's singles bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang. In team competition he has two silvers and two bronzes at the Sudirman Cup and one silver and two bronzes at the Thomas Cup. This page is not a full career history — it is built around his 2026 results, match by match.
Is Kenta Nishimoto playing at the 2026 Asian Games?
He is in the 10-strong Japan squad announced on 19 May 2026, entered for both the team and the individual events. In men's singles only he and Kodai Naraoka have both entries; Yushi Tanaka and Koki Watanabe are 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 same prefecture as his club. 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 his 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. Fixtures and venues for the domestic S/J League are published by the league.
📮 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, JTEKT 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/nishimoto-kenta/