Source:
REUTERS/IVAN ALVARADO
[Saba
Sports News] The Swiss Badminton Open, part of the Super 300 series, concluded
last week. Tomoka Miyazaki, a talented 17-year-old player from Japan, reached
the semi-finals of the women’s singles event, earning 4,900 points and climbing
to 25th place in the world rankings. This achievement marks a career high for
her and makes her the 8th player in badminton history to achieve such a ranking
before the age of 18. Miyazaki hails from Osaka, Japan, and has been involved
in badminton since her elementary school days. At the age of 15, she already
secured victory in the Japanese Junior High School Badminton Championship.
During her time in high school, she played a vital role in her school team’s
four consecutive victories in the National High School Badminton Team
Championship. Miyazaki is considered a rising star and a potential future
medalist for Japan. In the 2022 World Youth Badminton Championships, she won
the gold medal in the women’s singles event before transitioning to
professional play. Miyazaki has consistently achieved positive results in the
Super 100 Series and Super 300 Series Badminton Opens, earning admiration from
fans who appreciate her talent and appearance. Other women’s singles players
who achieved a top 25 ranking in the world before turning 18 include Tai Tzu
Ying from Chinese Taipei, Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand, Busanan
Ongbamrungphan, India’s Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, Nozomi
Okuhara, and South Korea’s reigning world champion, An Se-young. Notably,
Intanon became the youngest women’s singles player in badminton history to
reach the top 25 at the age of 15 years, 10 months, and 4 days.