Rin Iwanaga

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Rin Iwanaga
Personal information
CountryJapan
Born (1999-05-21) 21 May 1999 (age 26)
Yanai, Yamaguchi, Japan
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
HandednessRight
CoachKei Nakashima
Women's doubles
Highest ranking4 (with Kie Nakanishi, 11 March 2025)
Current ranking9 (with Kie Nakanishi, 29 July 2025)
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Japan
Sudirman Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2025 Xiamen Mixed team
Asian Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Manila Women's doubles
Asia Mixed Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2025 Qingdao Mixed team
Asia Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Selangor Women's team
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Yogyakarta Mixed team
Asian Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Jakarta Mixed team
BWF profile

Rin Iwanaga (岩永 鈴, Iwanaga Rin; born 21 May 1999) is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with the Biprogy team.[1] She won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Championships partnering Kie Nakanishi.[2] Iwanaga and Nakanishi claimed their first World Tour title at the 2023 Syed Modi International.[3]

Career

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2021

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In 2021, Iwanaga and Nakanishi reached their first Super 500 final at the Hylo Open in November. They were defeated by their compatriots, Chisato Hoshi and Aoi Matsuda, securing runner-up position.[4] Earlier that year, the pair won the Belgian International. They also competed in the Indonesia Masters (Super 750) and the Indonesia Open (Super 1000) at the Indonesia Badminton Festival in Bali but were eliminated in the early rounds of both tournaments. In December, they made their World Championship debut held in Huelva, reaching the quarterfinals. By the end of the year, they entered the top 30 world rankings, reaching world No. 26.

2022

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In 2022, Iwanaga and Nakanishi won a silver medal at the Asian Championships held in Manila, losing to the then-World No. 1 pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China in the final.[2] In August, they participated in the World Championships held in Tokyo, where they were eliminated in the third round. Throughout their 2022 World Tour campaign, Iwanaga and Nakanishi experienced early-round losses for all tournaments they competed. They reached a then-new career-high ranking of world No. 15 as of 24 October 2022.

2023: First BWF World Tour title, world No. 15

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In 2023, Iwanaga and Nakanishi won their first BWF World Tour title together at the Syed Modi International (Super 300) in November.[3] They also reached the semifinals of the Arctic Open and the Denmark Open. At the Denmark Open, they defeated two Chinese pairs, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in the second round and Zhang Shuxian and Zheng Yu in the quarterfinals, before they were defeated by another Chinese pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in the semifinals.[5] Their 2023 season also included reaching the quarterfinals in five other tournaments: the India Open, the Thailand Open, the Singapore Open, the Korea Open, and the Australia Open. They finished the year by returning to a world ranking of No. 15, after their ranking had dropped to No. 26 earlier in the year.

2024

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In 2024, Iwanaga and Nakanishi reached the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open in January by defeating third seeds, Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong, marking their first quarterfinal appearance at a Super 1000 tournament.[6] They won their first Super 750 title at the Denmark Open in October. This win was their fifth consecutive tournament final victory in 2024, following titles at the Spain Masters,[7] Malaysia Masters,[8] U.S. Open,[9] and Canada Open.[10] En route to the Denmark Open title, they defeated Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee in the semifinals, achieving their first win against that pair.[11] In the final, they beat the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalists and then-world No. 1 pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning (21–18, 21–14). This victory solidified their position as the second-ranked pair in the BWF World Tour Finals rankings and was their second win over Liu and Tan in three encounters.[12] They also competed in the BWF World Tour Finals in December but were eliminated in the round-robin stage. They reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 5 as of 4 November.

2025

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Iwanaga began the 2025 season recovering from injuries suffered in late 2024. She injured her right shoulder in November 2024, followed by a torn abdominal muscle.[13] Despite these injuries, Iwanaga and Nakanishi reached the final of the Singapore Open (Super 750) in June, finishing as runners-up to Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong of South Korea.[14] They also reached the quarterfinals at the All England Open in March, the Asian Championships in April, and the Indonesia Open in June. Iwanaga and Nakanishi reached a new career-high ranking of World No. 4 on 11 March. Additionally, Iwanaga was also part of the Japanese teams that won bronze medals at the Asia Mixed Team Championships in February and the Sudirman Cup in April.[15][16]

Achievements

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Asian Championships

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Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2022 Muntinlupa Sports Complex,
Metro Manila, Philippines 		Japan Kie Nakanishi China Chen Qingchen
China Jia Yifan 		11–21, 15–21 Silver Silver [2]

BWF World Tour (6 titles, 3 runners-up)

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The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[17] 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 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[18]

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 Dutch Open Super 100 Japan Kie Nakanishi Bulgaria Gabriela Stoeva
Bulgaria Stefani Stoeva 		10–21, 20–22 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [19]
2021 Hylo Open Super 500 Japan Kie Nakanishi Japan Chisato Hoshi
Japan Aoi Matsuda 		20–22, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [4]
2023 Syed Modi International Super 300 Japan Kie Nakanishi India Tanisha Crasto
India Ashwini Ponnappa 		21–14, 17–21, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [3]
2024 Spain Masters Super 300 Japan Kie Nakanishi Indonesia Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma
Indonesia Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi 		12–21, 21–8, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [7]
2024 Malaysia Masters Super 500 Japan Kie Nakanishi South Korea Lee Yu-lim
South Korea Shin Seung-chan 		17–21, 21–19, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [8]
2024 U.S. Open Super 300 Japan Kie Nakanishi Thailand Laksika Kanlaha
Thailand Phataimas Muenwong 		21–19, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [9]
2024 Canada Open Super 500 Japan Kie Nakanishi Chinese Taipei Hsu Yin-hui
Chinese Taipei Lin Jhih-yun 		21–13, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [10]
2024 Denmark Open Super 750 Japan Kie Nakanishi China Liu Shengshu
China Tan Ning 		21–18, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [12]
2025 Singapore Open Super 750 Japan Kie Nakanishi South Korea Kim Hye-jeong
South Korea Kong Hee-yong 		16–21, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [14]

BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles)

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Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 South Australia International Japan Kie Nakanishi Australia Setyana Mapasa
Australia Gronya Somerville 		21–15, 19–21, 21–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [20]
2019 Dubai International Japan Kie Nakanishi Denmark Alexandra Bøje
Denmark Mette Poulsen 		18–21, 21–15, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [21]
2021 Belgian International Japan Kie Nakanishi Scotland Julie MacPherson
Scotland Ciara Torrance 		21–12, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [22][23]
  BWF International Challenge tournament

BWF Junior International (3 runners-up)

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Girls' doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2017 German Junior Japan Natsu Saito South Korea Kim Min-ji
South Korea Seong Ah-yeong 		16–21, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2017 Dutch Junior Japan Yunosuke Kubota South Korea Na Sung-seung
South Korea Seong Ah-yeong 		21–19, 19–21, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2017 German Junior Japan Yunosuke Kubota Malaysia Chang Yee Jun
Malaysia Pearly Tan 		16–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament

References

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  1. ^ "選手・スタッフ紹介" (in Japanese). Unisys. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "【バドミントン】山口茜アジア選手権シングルス連覇逃す　ダブルス岩永鈴＆中西貴映組も準V" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Ponnappa-Crasto lose to Japan's Iwanga-Nakanishi in final". Scroll. 3 December 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b Tulloch, Ashlee (8 November 2021). "Loh Kean Yew wins biggest career title at Hylo Open 2021 as Lee Zii Jia retires injured". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  5. ^ Kumar, Prem (21 October 2023). "Denmark Open: 'Arctic Outing' Sparks Iwanaga/Nakanishi". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  6. ^ Kumar, Prem (11 January 2024). "Malaysia Open: Iwanaga/nakanishi Thump Another Barrier". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Competition at its best at the Madrid Spain Masters by Iberdrola". Madrid Spain Masters. 31 March 2024. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b Tan, Ming Wai (26 May 2024). "Mighty Axelsen beats spirited Zii Jia in epic Malaysia Masters final". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b "US Open: Nidaira Wins Thriller; Double for Teeraratsakul". Badminton World Federation. 1 July 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  10. ^ a b Sukumar, Dev (8 July 2024). "Canada Open: 'Dream Come True'". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  11. ^ Pierre, Dianne (20 October 2024). "Denmark Open: Danes 'Desperate to Make Chance Count'". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b Pierre, Dianne; Kumar, Prem (22 October 2024). "Denmark Open: Iwanaga/Nakanishi Step Forward for Japan". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  13. ^ "[Asian Tour] 'I was able to play without injury for the first time in a while, which made it a very enjoyable tournament' (Iwanaga) <Return Home Comments - Part 2>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 9 June 2025. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Thailand take two titles at Singapore Open 2025". Badminton Asia. 2 June 2025. Archived from the original on 24 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  15. ^ "China Charges into BAMTC 2025 Finals After Epic Showdown Against Japan". Badminton Asia. 16 February 2025. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Defending champions China power past Japan to reach Sudirman Cup final". nst.com.my. New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  17. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  18. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Result: Dutch Open 2019" (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. 13 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Final highlights from the South Australia International 2019". Badminton Oceania. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  21. ^ Kawamae, Naoki (20 October 2019). "Result: Dubai International Challenge 2019" (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  22. ^ "[Belgian International] Riko Gunji wins the women's singles! Japan B Team wins in three events! <Results of the Japanese athletes>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 31 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  23. ^ "[Belgian International 2021] Pramudya/Yeremia Win Champion Title" (in Indonesian). PB Djarum. 31 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
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