Kenta Nishimoto Badminton
2026 Results, Match by Match

Swiss Open 2026

Super 300・Basel, Switzerland

🆕Seeded 5th. In the first round on 11 March he met Tharun MANNEPALLI (IND), took the opening game 21-16, lost the second 16-21, and retired at 2-7 in the decider (53 minutes on BWF's official record). It is one of two 2026 matches on our record where he won the first game and still lost — the other is the World Championships second round in August (21-17, 16-21, 18-21). ⚠️No reason for the retirement has been published, so we do not give one. 🆕Added on 21 September 2026: this result was already on our own Swiss Open 2027 page as a 2026 result. The Nippon Badminton Association's day page for 11 March, BWF's official match data and the English Wikipedia draw all agree on the opponent, the score and the date.

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

Out in the second round of the individual event. After a first-round bye he lost to Alwi Farhan (INA) 12-21, 10-21 in the second round on 26 September. Farhan had beaten Li Shifeng in the men's team final on 24 September. In the team event Japan's men (seeded 4th) beat Kazakhstan 3-0 in the first round on 21 September and lost 0-3 to India in the quarter-final on 22 September. Nishimoto was one of the ten men registered for the team event, but we have not recorded his team matches. The Games were held in Aichi, the same prefecture as his club. ⚠️This match is not counted in the figures on this page (such as the two World Championships matches); the score is from Nishimoto's side.

Arctic Open 2026

Super 500・Vantaa, Finland

The first week of the European autumn swing. Nishimoto was on neither of the two lists the Nippon Badminton Association published on 11 September (the squad and the self-funded entrants) nor in the BWF main draw, so he did not play this tournament. In the men's singles Yushi Tanaka finished runner-up and 8th seed Koki Watanabe reached the semi-finals. 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).

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). In 2026 he lost the first round on 28 October to Ditlev Jaeger HOLM (DEN) 19-21, 21-11, 12-21, levelling in the second game before losing the decider. No player from China, Korea or Hong Kong entered any of the five events in 2025. ⚠️This match is not in the figures on this page (score from Nishimoto's side).

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. JTEKT Stingers' men's S block opens at the Tokyo event from Saturday 28 November (the Yokote event on 31 October – 1 November had only the men's J and women's S blocks). Line-ups for each fixture are announced by the clubs.

Korea Open 2026

Super 500・Yeosu, Korea

He lost the first round on 4 November to 4th seed Alwi Farhan (INA) 14-21, 11-21. Of the three meetings between the two we have recorded in 2026 (with the Japan Open and the Asian Games), Farhan won all three. ⚠️This match is not in the figures on this page (score from Nishimoto's side).

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.

• 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 — in Japan's squad (team and individual)
  One of the ten men named on 19 May 2026. In men's singles only he and Kodai Naraoka were entered for both the team and the individual events. He lost 12-21, 10-21 to Alwi Farhan (INA) in the second round of the individual event, and Japan's men lost 0-3 to India in the team quarter-final.
• 2018 — Asian Games — men's singles bronze
  Jakarta and Palembang. He also took bronze in the men's team event at the same Games. At the 2026 Games in Aichi, Japan, in September he went out in the second round of the individual event.
• 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.

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.

At the 2026 Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Aichi (from 20 to 29 September) that followed, he went out in the second round of the individual event, losing 12-21, 10-21 to Alwi Farhan (INA) (Japan's men lost 0-3 to India in the team quarter-final). He did not play the Arctic Open in Finland (from 6 to 11 October). He played the HYLO Open in Germany (from 27 October to 1 November) in 2025, and the S/J League began on 31 October.

🗓️October in Europe: He was in the Japan squad the Nippon Badminton Association named on 11 September 2026 for the Denmark Open and the French Open in men's singles. At the Denmark Open 2026 (13–18 October, Denmark, Super 750) he lost 16-21, 16-21 to Jason GUNAWAN (HKG) in the first round on 14 October (this match is not counted in the figures on this page either). At the French Open 2026 (20–25 October, France, Super 750) that followed, unseeded, he lost the first round on 20 October to CHI Yu Jen (TPE) 20-22, 21-17, 14-21 (not counted in the figures on this page either). At the HYLO Open 2026 (27 October – 1 November, Saarbrücken, Germany, Super 500) he lost the first round on 28 October to Ditlev Jaeger HOLM (DEN) 19-21, 21-11, 12-21 (not counted in the figures on this page either). At the Korea Open 2026 (3–8 November, Yeosu, Korea, Super 500) he lost the first round on 4 November to 4th seed Alwi Farhan (INA) 14-21, 11-21, his third defeat by Farhan in 2026 after the Japan Open and the Asian Games (not counted in the figures on this page either). 🆕Next is the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026 (10–15 November, Kumamoto, Super 500): in the BWF draw we checked on 4 November 2026 he meets Nhat NGUYEN (IRL) in the first round. He was the runner-up there in 2025. Withdrawals after the draw are still possible, so please check the BWF draw for the latest.

⚠️ He did not play the Arctic Open (6–11 October): his name was on neither of the association's 11 September lists (the squad or the self-funded entrants) nor in the BWF main draw. He is in the BWF draw for the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026 that we checked on 4 November 2026. We do not guess who will play. Linked pages are in Japanese.

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.

📮 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.