Sakura Masuki
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 舛木 さくら |
| Born | 17 March 2004 Tochigi Prefecture, Japan |
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Japan |
| Sport | Badminton |
| Handedness | Right |
| Coached by | Kanta Tsuneyama |
| Women's singles | |
| Career record | 35 wins, 12 losses (74.47%) |
| Highest ranking | 65 (23 September 2025) |
| Current ranking | 86 (4 August 2026) |
| BWF profile | |
Sakura Masuki (舛木 さくら, Masuki Sakura; born 17 March 2004) is a Japanese badminton player.[1] She is a former member of the Japanese national team and plays for Hokuto Bank team. Masuki has won five titles on the BWF International Challenge circuit and was the runner-up at the 2025 Indonesia Masters Super 100 I. Masuki achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 65 on 23 September 2025.
Career
[edit]Masuki began playing badminton at age eight after her father introduced her to the sport. She played for Utsunomiya Chuo Junior and attended Kita Junior High School before entering Sakushin Gakuin High School, where she was the runner-up at the 2021 National High School Championships (Inter-High).[2] After graduating, Masuki joined the Hokuto Bank badminton team to pursue professional badminton.
In 2024, Masuki was selected for the Japanese national team and began competing on the senior international circuit. In July, she reached the final of the Northern Marianas Open, finishing as the runner-up after losing to compatriot Kaoru Sugiyama.[3] In November, she won her first international title at the Irish Open, defeating Canada's Rachel Chan in the final.[4]
In 2025, Masuki began training under former Japanese men's singles player Kanta Tsuneyama as her coach.[5] Under his guidance, she won two titles: the Mexican International in May, defeating Shiori Ebihara, and the Northern Marianas Open in August, defeating South Korea's Park Ga-eun.[6][7] In September, Masuki reached her first BWF World Tour final at the Super 100 Indonesia Masters, where she finished as the runner-up to Taiwan's Huang Yu-hsun.[8] Following the tournament, she achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 65 on 23 September 2025.
In July 2026, Masuki secured back-to-back titles in consecutive tournaments held in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. She successfully defended her women's singles title at the Northern Marianas Open and subsequently captured the Saipan International title, defeating compatriot Nodoka Sunakawa in both finals.[9][10][11]
Achievements
[edit]BWF World Tour (1 runner-up)
[edit]The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[12] 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, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[13]
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (I) | Indonesia Masters | Super 100 |  Huang Yu-hsun |
21–16, 18–21, 13–21 |  Runner-up |
[8][14] |
BWF International Challenge/Series (5 titles, 1 runner-up)
[edit]Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Northern Marianas Open |  Kaoru Sugiyama |
17–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
[3] |
| 2024 | Irish Open |  Rachel Chan |
26–24, 21–10 |  Winner |
[4] |
| 2025 | Mexican International | Shiori Ebihara |
15–8, 15–10 | Winner |
[6] |
| 2025 | Northern Marianas Open |  Park Ga-eun |
15–21, 21–11, 21–14 | Winner |
[7][15] |
| 2026 | Northern Marianas Open | Nodoka Sunakawa |
21–15, 21–14 | Winner |
[10][9] |
| 2026 | Saipan International | Nodoka Sunakawa |
21–13, 21–16 | Winner |
[11] |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
References
[edit]- ↑ "Sakura MASUKI | Profile". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ↑ "Sakura MASUKI | Profile". Badminton S/J League (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- 1 2 "Big Wins For Japan: Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 – Finals Day Summary". Badminton Oceania. 7 July 2024. Archived from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- 1 2 Sasaki, Sho (17 November 2024). "Irish Open 2024 | Results". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- ↑ "Hokuto Bank Badminton Club: Sakura Masuki Interview". TITLE Akita Sports Graphic Magazine (in Japanese). 30 October 2025. Archived from the original on 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- 1 2 Sasaki, Sho (12 May 2025). "Mexico International Challenge 2025 | Results". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- 1 2 "Japan Dominates Finals at CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open". Badminton Oceania. 11 August 2025. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Badminton Singles Player Sakura Masuki (Hokuto Bank) is Runner-Up at Indonesia Masters! Looks Ahead, Stating 'The Feeling of Frustration is Great' (Akita, 21st)". Akita Broadcasting System (in Japanese). 22 September 2025. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- 1 2 Gases, Leigh (21 July 2026). "Masuki defends title, Park strikes gold twice". Marianas Press. Archived from the original on 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Park Seul Completes Double Gold at YONEX Northern Marianas Open". Badminton Oceania. 20 July 2026. Archived from the original on 20 July 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Shogo Ogawa Completes Redemption Arc as Saipan's Back-to-Back Tournaments Come to a Close". Badminton Oceania. 26 July 2026. Archived from the original on 25 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ Sakai, Kazumasa (21 September 2025). "Indonesia Masters I 2025 | Results". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ Sablan Jr., James (12 August 2025). "Japan sweeps Crowne Plaza badminton titles". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
External links
[edit]- Sakura Masuki at BWFBadminton.com
- Sakura Masuki at Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese) (archived)