🏸 2026 results
Every 2026 result we record for Watanabe and Taguchi, tournament by tournament. Tournament names link to our page for that event, where you will find the draw, the other Japanese entries and how to find the broadcast. 🆕The first card is the Swiss Open in March 2026, a result our own Swiss Open 2027 page already held. The next two are the Japan Ranking Circuit in May and the All Japan Corporate Team Championships in June, and Taguchi played in both without Watanabe. ⚠️Those two are the only events held in the first half of 2026 that have a summary page of their own on our site; we have no page at all for January, February or April.
Swiss Open 2026
Super 300・Basel, Switzerland
🆕They did not get straight into the main draw and started in qualifying. In the first qualifying round on 10 March they lost 17-21, 11-21 to ZHU Yi Jun / LI Qian (CHN), so they never reached the main draw (33 minutes on BWF's official record). ⚡Five months later they won the Chinese Taipei Open on 2 August and the Korea Masters on 9 August, back to back, and reached the pair's career-high No. 13 on 11 August. ⚠️Compatriots Akira KOGA / Natsu SAITO also came through qualifying that day and did reach the main draw. 🆕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 10 March and BWF's official match data agree on the opponent, the score and the date.
Japan Ranking Circuit 2026
Japan national event・Saitama, Japan
⚠️Watanabe did not enter. Taguchi played with two different partners, and our own tournament page holds all four of her matches. 🥇Mixed doubles, with Yuto Nakashizu (NTT East): semi-final on 23 May 21-10, 21-12; final on 24 May 23-21, 18-21, 21-19 against Yudai Nagafuchi / Yuho Imai — two points in the first game and two in the third. 🥈Women's doubles, with Nijika Kamada: semi-final 21-17, 16-21, 26-24, a decider that ran from 20-20 to 26-24; final 21-19, 16-21, 16-21 to Miyu Takahashi / Sumire Nakade of BIPROGY (our tournament page writes it from the winners' side as 19-21, 21-16, 21-16). 🔴Only two players reached two finals on the same day at this event, and Taguchi was one of them. 📐This was the only Japanese first-class event of 2026 still played to 21 points. ⚠️No match times are published.
76th All Japan Corporate Team Championships
All Japan Corporate Team Championships・Fukaya, Saitama, Japan
⚠️Watanabe did not enter — this is a team event for colleagues at the same workplace. Taguchi played second doubles for ACT SAIKYO with Misaki Kurashima and lost both rubbers. Quarter-final: 6-15, 11-15 to Akari Ito / Yuka Ise (San-in Godo Bank). 🔴Semi-final, 20 June: 15-17, 15-12, 9-15 to BIPROGY's Kie Nakanishi and Rin Iwanaga, who write the same rubber on their page as 17-15, 12-15, 15-9. ACT SAIKYO lost the tie 1-3 and finished in the last four. ⚠️Neither score is our own primary record; both come from the official live-results site. Played to 15 points, best of three, with no match times published.
Daihatsu Japan Open
Super 750・Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
In the first round on 14 July they beat LIU Kuang-heng / HSU Yin-hui (TPE) 22-20, 21-18, the opening game going to 22-20. In the second round on 16 July they lost 10-21, 21-17, 8-21 to compatriots Akira KOGA / Natsu SAITO — an all-Japanese tie in which they took only the second game.
China Open
Super 1000・Changzhou, China
In the second round on 23 July they beat CHENG Xing / ZHANG Chi (CHN) 21-15, 21-13 in straight games — a pair ranked World No. 9 in mixed doubles on 25 August 2026. The quarter-final on 24 July went 11-21, 21-19, 19-21 to the fourth seeds Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH / Supissara PAEWSAMPRAN (THA), Watanabe and Taguchi taking the second game back and reaching 19 in the decider.
Taipei Open 2026
Super 300・Taipei, Taiwan
🥇They won the final on 2 August, beating the second seeds Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang (TPE) 21-19, 21-8 — the pair's first World Tour title. 🆕The score is carried as a 2026 result on our Taipei Open 2027 page, where the Nippon Badminton Association's results and the final bracket on English Wikipedia agree. ⚠️That final is the only match from this event our tournament page holds. They won the Korea Masters (Super 300) the following week as well, but we have no page for that event. Japan won three of the five titles in Taipei: Yudai Okimoto took the men's singles and Sumire Nakade / Miyu Takahashi the women's doubles.
BWF World Championships 2026
World Championships・New Delhi, India
Seeded 16, so they had a first-round bye. On 19 August they beat CHAN Yin Chak / NG Tsz Yau (HKG) 21-14, 21-13 in 32 minutes. On 20 August they went out to the top seeds FENG Yanzhe / HUANG Dongping (CHN), 19-21, 18-21 — the first game decided by two points and the second by three.
China Masters 2026
Super 750・Shenzhen, China
In the first round on 1 September, twelve days after the World Championships, they drew the same top seeds FENG Yanzhe / HUANG Dongping (CHN) and lost 9-21, 21-19, 25-27. At 75 minutes it was the longest match of the opening day. After losing the first game 9-21 they took the second, and the decider went to 25-27 — two points away.
Asian Games 2026 badminton
Asian Games・Ichinomiya, Aichi, Japan
Out in the second round of the mixed doubles. On 25 September they beat the third seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh / Supissara Paewsampran (THA) 21-16, 21-12 in the first round, then lost the second round the same day to Amri Syahnawi / Nita Violina Marwah (INA) 21-9, 18-21, 15-21 (54 minutes). In the team event Watanabe was one of the ten men and Taguchi one of the ten women registered; Japan's women won silver and Japan's men lost 0-3 to India in the quarter-final. We have not recorded their team matches. ⚠️These two matches are not in the figures on this page (scores from Watanabe / Taguchi's side).
Malaysia Super 100 2026
Super 100・Johor, Malaysia
They are the defending mixed doubles champions from the 2025 edition, where they beat Dejan FERDINANSYAH / Bernadine WARDANA (INA) 21-18, 21-12 in the final. ⚠️They are not in the BWF main draw for 2026 (13–18 October): of the nine Japanese entries counted on our Malaysia Super 100 2026 page, the only mixed pair is a different one. They played the Denmark Open 2026 that week instead (out in the second round).
Korea Open 2026
Super 500・Yeosu, South Korea
4th seeds in mixed doubles; two wins and out in the quarter-final.
✅ 4 Nov, first round｜Jafar HIDAYATULLAH / Rinjani Kwinnara NASTINE (INA) 21-17, 21-12
✅ 5 Nov, second round｜HYUN / MOON (KOR) 21-7, 21-14
❌ 6 Nov, quarter-final｜GAO / WU (CHN) 21-9, 14-21, 18-21
⚠️These three matches are not in this page's figures (three wins and five losses; scores from Watanabe and Taguchi's side).
80th All Japan Championships
Japan domestic・Chofu, Tokyo
They are the defending mixed doubles champions from the 79th edition in December 2025, where Daiki MIDORIKAWA / Nami MATSUYAMA were runners-up. The 80th edition uses the three-game, 15-point format Japan has adopted ahead of the international switch. The draw is usually published one or two weeks before the event.
Scores are written from Yuta Watanabe / Maya Taguchi's point of view (Watanabe and Taguchi's points first). Only matches completed by 7 November 2026 are listed (the three wins and five losses run to 1 September; the later Asian Games, Denmark Open, French Open and Korea Open matches are not in the figures). Matches in progress are not listed.
🔥 The world No. 1, twice
On 20 August 2026, the pair that knocked Watanabe and Taguchi out of the World Championships in the third round were China's Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Twelve days later, on 1 September, they drew the same pair again in the first round of the China Masters. Feng and Huang were World No. 1 in mixed doubles on 25 August 2026 with 110,600 points. We held both matches as primary records — but on two separate tournament pages, so they could not be read side by side.
- 20 August 2026 — World Championships, third round: out 19-21, 18-21, the first game decided by two points and the second by three.
- 🔥1 September 2026 — China Masters, first round: 9-21, 21-19, 25-27. At 75 minutes the longest match of the opening day, and the decider ended 25-27 — two points away.
- 25 September 2026 — Asian Games 2026, second round: after beating the Thai third seeds 21-16, 21-12 in the first round, they lost the second round the same day 21-9, 18-21, 15-21, losing from a game up (not in the figure above).
🥇In the two weeks before the World Championships they won back-to-back titles. On 2 August they took the Taipei Open final 21-19, 21-8 (🆕a result card since 23 September 2026) against the second seeds Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang (TPE), and on 9 August they won the Korea Masters (Super 300, Asan) as top seeds, beating the second seeds Kim Jae Hyeon and Jang Ha Jeong (KOR) 21-19, 21-14. Both finals opened 21-19. ACT SAIKYO's official page lists Taguchi's goal for the season as to win a World Tour Super 300 or above — and the Korea Masters is a Super 300.
World rankings are updated every week, so every ranking on this page is written with its date. Opponent names follow the spelling used on our own tournament pages.
🏆 Career highlights
- 2021 & 2024 — Olympic mixed doubles bronze (Watanabe)
Bronze at Tokyo 2020 and again at Paris 2024, with a previous partner. ACT SAIKYO's official player page lists both medals. - 2018 — All England Open, mixed doubles champion (Watanabe)
ACT SAIKYO's official page lists the 2018 All England mixed doubles title. He has five All England titles in total, including the men's doubles in 2020. - 2023 — World Junior Championships, women's doubles champion (Taguchi)
In Spokane, USA, partnering Aya Tamaki. ACT SAIKYO's official page lists the title. - 2025 — All Japan Championships, mixed doubles champions
At the 79th edition in December 2025 they took the national title together. Our All Japan 2026 page records them as the defending champions. - 2025 — Malaysia Super 100, mixed doubles champions
They beat Dejan Ferdinansyah and Bernadine Wardana (INA) 21-18, 21-12 in the final. Our Malaysia Super 100 2026 page records them as the defending champions. - 2026 — Back-to-back titles: Taipei Open and Korea Masters
On 2 August they won the Taipei Open final 21-19, 21-8 for the pair's first World Tour title. 🆕Our Taipei Open 2027 page went live on 23 September 2026 with that score, so it is now a result card (we still have no page for the Korea Masters). That win came against the second seeds Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang (TPE). A week later they won the Korea Masters (Super 300, Asan) as top seeds on 9 August, beating the second seeds Kim Jae Hyeon and Jang Ha Jeong (KOR) 21-19, 21-14 (BWF results and Kyodo News, via our World Championships 2026 page). - 2026 — Career-high World No. 13 (11 August)
On 11 August 2026 they reached No. 13, the pair's career high, as recorded in the BWF World Ranking listing. On 5 May 2026 they had been No. 38. Rankings move every week, so we always publish the date with the number.
📅 What's next
At the Asian Games 2026 in Ichinomiya, Aichi (20 to 29 September), they went out in the second round of the mixed doubles (beating the Thai third seeds 21-16, 21-12 in the first round, then losing 21-9, 18-21, 15-21 to an Indonesian pair).
The Malaysia Super 100 2026 (13 to 18 October, Johor) is an event they won in 2025, but they are not in the 2026 BWF main draw; for the Denmark Open in the same week, see below. In December there is Japan's 80th All Japan Championships (24 to 30 December, Chofu, Tokyo), where they are also the defending mixed doubles champions.
🗓️October in Europe: They were on the list of self-funded entrants the Nippon Badminton Association published on 11 September 2026 for three events — the Arctic Open 2026 (6–11 October, Finland, Super 500), the Denmark Open 2026 (13–18 October, Denmark, Super 750) and the French Open 2026 (20–25 October, France, Super 750) — in mixed doubles.
🔴The first of those three, the Arctic Open, started on 6 October without them. when we counted, one by one, all ten draws BWF published on 6 October 2026 for the five events — main draw and qualifying, Watanabe / Taguchi were in neither the mixed doubles main draw nor the qualifying (Japan has 17 entries at this tournament: nine singles players and eight doubles pairs; the only Japanese pair in the mixed doubles is Akira Koga / Natsu Saito, sent as the national team). ⚠️ No reason has been announced, so we do not state one. They did play the Denmark Open 2026 (13–18 October): in the first round on 14 October they beat GAO Jia Xuan / WU Meng Ying (CHN), the Arctic Open 2026 mixed doubles runners-up, 22-20, 21-16, then lost the second round on 15 October to eighth seeds CHENG Xing / ZHANG Chi (CHN) 17-21, 22-20, 20-22 (out in the second round). ⚠️These two matches are not in the figures on this page either.
🗓️At the French Open 2026 (20–25 October, near Paris, Super 750) their first-round opponents on 20 October, the 8th seeds CHENG Xing / ZHANG Chi (CHN), withdrew, so they went through to the second round without playing (the same pair had beaten them 17-21, 22-20, 20-22 in the Denmark Open second round). On 22 October they lost the second round to WU Guan Xun / LEE Chia Hsin (TPE) 21-18, 16-21, 10-21. ⚠️This match is not in the figures on this page either.
🗓️At the Korea Open 2026 (3–8 November, Yeosu, Korea, Super 500) they were 4th seeds in mixed doubles and reached the quarter-finals. They beat Jafar HIDAYATULLAH / Rinjani Kwinnara NASTINE (INA) 21-17, 21-12 on 4 November and HYUN / MOON (KOR) 21-7, 21-14 on 5 November, then lost the quarter-final on 6 November 21-9, 14-21, 18-21 to GAO / WU (CHN) after taking the first game. ⚠️These three matches are not in this page's figures either.
🗓️Next is the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026 (10–15 November, Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, Super 500). In the official BWF draw we checked on 4 November 2026, their first-round opponents are Marwan FAZA / Aisyah Salsabila Putri PRANATA (INA). Japan's other mixed pairs in the Kumamoto draw are Akira Koga / Natsu Saito and Yuichi Shimogami / Sayaka Hobara. Late withdrawals are possible, so check the official BWF draw for the latest.
⚠️ The association's list is dated 11 September 2026, and the All Japan draw is usually released one or two weeks before the event. We do not guess at names.
👤 Profile
| Pair | Yuta Watanabe / Maya Taguchi (渡辺勇大／田口真彩) |
|---|---|
| Event | Mixed doubles |
| World ranking | World No. 12 as of 13 October 2026 58,740 points from 17 counted events. On 15 September 2026 they were No. 13 with 57,790 points, so they have moved up 1 place. No. 13 is the pair's career high, first reached on 11 August 2026. World rankings are updated every week, so this is a dated record, not a current figure. Check the BWF website for the latest list. |
Yuta Watanabe
| Name | Yuta Watanabe (渡辺勇大) |
|---|---|
| Team | ACT SAIKYO (Yamaguchi, Japan) |
| Born | 13 June 1997 |
| From | Tokyo, Japan |
| Height | 167cm |
| Plays | Left-handed |
Maya Taguchi
| Name | Maya Taguchi (田口真彩) |
|---|---|
| Team | ACT SAIKYO (Yamaguchi, Japan) |
| Born | 9 October 2005 |
| From | Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan |
| Height | 165cm |
⚠️We do not publish a playing hand for Maya Taguchi. The ACT SAIKYO official player page we use as our source has no field for it, so we cannot confirm it, and we do not guess.
Source — Yuta Watanabe's Nippon Badminton Association national team page and Yuta Watanabe's ACT SAIKYO badminton team official player page / Maya Taguchi's ACT SAIKYO 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
Our record of their 2026 season up to 1 September reads three wins and five losses (the later Asian Games, Denmark Open, French Open and Korea Open matches are written separately), but four of the five losses came against the world No. 1 (twice), No. 2 and Japan's top pair. The fourth-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran were World No. 2 on 25 August 2026, and Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping were No. 1. One of the wins was against Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi, No. 9 on the same list — beaten 21-15, 21-13 in the China Open second round on 23 July. Round 2, quarter-finals, round 3 — none of that shows on a results table.
🏫Something else shows up only when our player pages are read side by side. By the school listed on the official pages, Taguchi, Tomoka Miyazaki and Rin Iwanaga all went to Yanai Shoko High School in Yamaguchi, while Watanabe, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi all went to Tomioka High School in Fukushima. Six of the players across our player pages come from just those two schools.
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.
- China Masters 2026 — From 1 to 6 September, Shenzhen (Super 750). First round, 75 minutes.
- BWF World Championships 2026 — From 17 to 23 August, New Delhi. Seeded 16, out in round three.
- China Open 2026 — From 21 to 26 July, Changzhou (Super 1000). Quarter-finalists.
- Daihatsu Japan Open 2026 — From 14 to 19 July, Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Super 750). Round two.
- Asian Games 2026 badminton — From 20 to 29 September, Ichinomiya, Aichi. Second round in the mixed doubles.
- Malaysia Super 100 2026 — From 13 to 18 October, Johor. They won it in 2025.
- 80th All Japan Championships — From 24 to 30 December, Chofu, Tokyo. Defending mixed doubles champions.
- S/J League 2026-27 — From 31 October, 15 venues. ACT SAIKYO play in the women's S block.
- Tomoka Miyazaki - 2026 results EN — Also ACT SAIKYO, and the same high school as Taguchi.
- Hoki / Kobayashi - 2026 results EN — Men's doubles, and the same high school as Watanabe.
- Koga / Saito — 2026 results EN — Their Japan Open 2026 second-round opponents; the same match from the other side. World No. 18 as of 13 October 2026. In English.
- Player pages on this site EN — Every 2026 player page we publish.
- Malaysia Super 100 2027 — 19–24 October 2027, Malaysia (host city not yet announced, Super 100). Won the 2025 mixed doubles (final 21-18, 21-12).
- Badminton tournament hub — Every tournament page on this site.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Which club do Watanabe and Taguchi play for?
Both play for ACT SAIKYO in Yamaguchi, Japan. Watanabe's move to ACT SAIKYO was announced on 1 April 2026, and ACT SAIKYO's own player page carries a message from him about it; he also keeps a professional contract with J-POWER. Watanabe was born on 13 June 1997 in Tokyo, is 167cm and left-handed, and went to Tomioka High School in Fukushima (Nippon Badminton Association and ACT SAIKYO). Taguchi was born on 9 October 2005 in Miyazaki Prefecture, is 165cm, and went to Yanai Shoko High School in Yamaguchi (ACT SAIKYO). Her playing hand is not published officially, so we do not state it.
How long have they played together?
Since September 2024. Watanabe's previous mixed doubles partnership ended in August 2024, and he began playing with Taguchi at the All Japan Corporate Championships that September. They won the All Japan Championships mixed doubles title in December 2025, and took back-to-back titles at the Taipei Open and the Korea Masters in August 2026.
What is their world ranking?
World No. 12 in mixed doubles as of 13 October 2026, with 58,740 points from 17 counted events. On 15 September 2026 they were No. 13 with 57,790 points, so they have moved up 1 place. The official BWF ranking (Week 42) and the specialist outlet Badminton Spirit's list dated 13 October agree on the place, the points and the number of counted events. That is the pair's career high, first reached on 11 August 2026; on 5 May 2026 they were No. 38. World rankings are updated every week, so this is a dated record rather than a current figure. Check the BWF website for the latest list.
What have they done in 2026?
Across the tournaments we cover: round two at the Daihatsu Japan Open in July (Super 750, Tokyo), the quarter-finals at the China Open in July (Super 1000, Changzhou), the third round at the 2026 World Championships in August (New Delhi, seeded 16), and the first round at the 2026 China Masters in September (Super 750, Shenzhen). The Japan Ranking Circuit in May and the All Japan Corporate Team Championships in June are listed above as events Taguchi entered without Watanabe.
How far did they go at the 2026 World Championships?
The third round. Seeded 16, they had a first-round bye, beat Chan Yin Chak and Ng Tsz Yau (HKG) 21-14, 21-13 in 32 minutes on 19 August, and lost 19-21, 18-21 to the top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping (CHN) on 20 August. Both games were decided by two points.
What happened in their China Masters first round?
On 1 September they drew the same opponents as in the World Championships third round, the top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping (CHN), and lost 9-21, 21-19, 25-27 in 75 minutes, the longest match of the opening day. They lost the first game 9-21, took the second, and finished the decider 25-27.
Why is this one page for two players?
Because a doubles match is one record for the pair. What our tournament pages hold is the result recorded for the pair Watanabe / Taguchi, so when we re-sort those records by player we keep the pair on one page. The profile section still gives each player their own table.
Where can I watch their matches?
It depends on the tournament. Each of our tournament pages has a section on how to find the broadcast or stream in Japan. Where no broadcast has been announced, we say so rather than guessing.
📮 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, ACT SAIKYO 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 13 October 2026. Japanese version: https://takeorilab.ybcjr.com/senshu/watanabe-taguchi/