Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto have reignited their careers by forming a new partnership and committing to a year together. By winning the Malaysia Open S1000 they have shown that they are ready to face the best in the world.
Yuki and Mayu first teamed up at the 2020 Uber Cup – a scratch pairing born from the absence of their regular partners. Initially seen as a stopgap the duo showed promise but the relationship was put on ice after the tournament. Fast forward to the end of 2024 and the partnership was given another chance to blossom.
Yuki at 31 years old could have chosen an honourable wind-down to retirement after a series of setbacks including the heartbreaking injury to her partner at the Tokyo Olympics and the missed qualification for Paris 2024. Instead, she found a new spark by linking up with Akira Koga in mixed doubles and collected wins that reinvigorated her confidence. Then came the retirement of Mayu’s long-term partner Wakana Nagahara, prompting Mayu to leave her domestic team and join up with Yuki at Honegori Sagamihara.
Now, the pair has pledged to spend a year competing together; aiming to play with freedom and avoid the pressure of high expectations. It’s a smart approach that allows them to embrace their potential without the burden of perfection.
Their chemistry on court is undeniable; their smiles are uplifting. Yuki can be a good defensive anchor; calmly absorbing pressure and setting up attacks. Mayu has a sharp, hard smash and a good reach so the rotation between them doesn’t expose weakness but I prefer her around the front court. She has courage and good spatial sense. Her cross court play and audacious shots can turn a rally’s momentum around. There are still errors of communication between them but the base level of two former world #1 is so high they should be able to overcome glitches.
FukuMatsu have arrived. Who knows how far this journey will take them? The Malaysia Open victory was just the beginning of what promises to be a thrilling partnership.
Who has the edge to get Gold? The contest for the WD title in Tokyo will suit athletes with deep reserves of stamina and resistance – however to win the battle for supremacy one of these players must be willing to turn defence into attack quickly and seize points at crucial moments.
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The competition has 16 pairs but only four are seeded. Each seeded pair heads a group (A,B,C, or D) and the tournament starts with a round robin to determine the top two pairs in each group who will then progress to the knockout stages.
Japan
Recently Japan’s women have built a good record of success at the Olympics. Silver at London 2012 (Fujii/Kakiiwa) followed by a thrilling Gold from Misaki and Ayaka in Rio: unfortunately their partnership is over but the quality of the Japanese squad means that the two pairs competing in this sector have every chance of winning it. Yuki Fukushima / Sayaka Hirota are top seeds and should expect to top Group A. The key to notable results will be Yuki who can drive the team forward with her precision and strength. At the Denmark Open their victory over compatriots Mayu Matsumoto / Wakana Nagahara stemmed from her power to control the theatre of battle. She was comfortable varying the tempo and sometimes ignored the percentage shot to go for the line.
The third seeds – Matsumoto and Nagahara – have every chance of making the final. Prior to the Denmark Open result I would have characterised them as the more aggressive of the two Japanese pairs so I’m intrigued how they will approach this competition. Group B rivals shouldn’t be able to prevent them getting into the next round and so as long as they snap up chances they can eye the podium with confidence. It’s important both pairs win their groups so they avoid potentially knocking each other out before the final.
Indonesia
Greysia Polii/ Apri Rahayu are in Group A so they will have to negotiate an early match with the tournament favourites but more worryingly their recent H2H with Malaysians CHOW/LEE makes me nervous. That is their first game in the round robin so we will have a clearer picture of what the future may hold following that. It’s Greysia’s third Olympics and I’m confident she has the experience and resilience to get through a close tie. Both players performed well in the Thailand bubble so they can approach the days ahead with courage. They are my favourite WD pair and I would be thrilled to see them with a medal. Go Girls!
South Korea
Korea is sending two pairs to this competition and this is probably the discipline where they have the best chance of a medal. LEE So-hee and SHIN Seung-chan were winners of the World Tour Finals and performed consistently in the Thai bubble. They head Group C as 4th seeds. They both have Olympic experience from Rio although with different partners then. Their height and aggressive style can unbalance opponents so I expect them to approach matches with boldness and noise. KIM Soyeong and KONG Heeyong are starting out unseeded in Group D but I think it’s important to note their victory in the 2019 Japanese Open against top Japanese players in the Olympic venue. KONG’s attacking strength is nicely supported by KIM and so if they get into the knockout phase they are going to be tricky to beat.
China
CHEN Qing Chen / JIA Yi Fan are seeded 2 and in Group D. When I watched them win the YAE2019 final I was shocked by their power, aggression and intensity. Many fans mark them as favourites for this event but the group they are in has the potential to sap their energy: they will meet Korea’s KIM/KONG and the Stoeva sisters. This could weaken them somewhat for the following rounds which have the potential to become wars of attrition. Despite that, they are an intimidating couple and it would not be a shock to see them medal. The second Chinese Pair DU Yue/LI Yin Hui are unseeded in Group C and may struggle to emerge from it. The main danger to their ambitions are the Danes Fruergaard/Thygesen who have good reserves of stubbornness to draw on in tough games. I would never write off any Chinese pair in this competition though. Up until 2016 they had a stranglehold on Gold and I’m certain they want ‘their’ medal back!
Conclusions
If any of these pairs can defend against the overwhelming firepower of the Chinese duo CHEN/JIA they will probably be the ones at the top of the podium. We haven’t watched any of the players from China in ages but we know that the second seeds are formidable. It’s a competition where gritty self-belief fused with physical resilience will create the gap between medal success and failure. South Korea and Indonesia are providing the dark horses but as far as the Gold goes it’s hard to look further than China or Japan. I expect FukuHiro to be more strategically nimble than the others so if the seeding unfolds predictably they could be the ones celebrating on finals day.
If you enjoyed this then take a look at my other Olympic previews here:
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Women's Badminton 