Kanta Tsuneyama

Kanta Tsuneyama (常山 幹太, Tsuneyama Kanta; born 21 June 1996) is a Japanese former professional badminton player and current coach. A men's singles player from Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, he achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 10.^[2][3] During his career, Tsuneyama won several BWF World Tour titles, including the 2018 Thailand Open, the 2019 Korea Masters, and the 2021 French Open. He also earned medals with the Japanese national team, securing a silver at the 2018 Thomas Cup and bronze medals at the 2018 and 2022 Asian Games. After retiring from professional competition in August 2024, Tsuneyama was appointed coach of the Hokuto Bank women's badminton team, beginning with the 2025 season.^[4]

Kanta Tsuneyama
Personal information
Country	Japan
Born	(1996-06-21) 21 June 1996 (age 29) Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Retired	22 August 2024 [1]
Handedness	Right
Men's singles
Career record	195 wins, 130 losses (60.00%)
Highest ranking	10 (26 November 2019)
Medal record Men's badminton Representing  Japan Sudirman Cup 2023 Suzhou Mixed team Thomas Cup 2018 Bangkok Men's team 2020 Aarhus Men's team 2022 Bangkok Men's team Asian Games 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Men's team 2022 Hangzhou Men's team Asian Championships 2023 Dubai Men's singles Asia Mixed Team Championships 2019 Hong Kong Mixed team Asia Team Championships 2020 Manila Men's team World Junior Championships 2014 Alor Setar Mixed team Asian Junior Championships 2014 Taipei Boys' singles 2014 Taipei Boys' doubles 2014 Taipei Mixed team Representing Mixed-NOCs Youth Olympic Games 2014 Nanjing Mixed doubles
BWF profile

Early career

Tsuneyama began playing badminton at the age of six, influenced by his parents, who were former corporate badminton players in Japan.^[5] He attended Kusatsu Elementary School and Kusatsu Junior High School. While in junior high school, he placed in the top four at the 2011 All Japan Junior High School Championships.

He later attended Higashi Osaka University Kashiwara High School, known for its badminton program.^[6] While in high school, Tsuneyama secured several national titles: singles at the 2013 Inter-High School Championships and the 2014 National High School Invitational Badminton Championships; doubles at the 2014 Inter-High School Championships; and both singles and doubles at the 2013 All Japan Junior Badminton Championships.^[7]

In 2014, Tsuneyama achieved success on the international junior circuit. At the Asian Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan, he won medals in three events: a silver medal in the boys' singles (defeating Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the quarterfinals before losing to Shi Yuqi in the final),^[8][9][10] a bronze medal in the boys' doubles (partnering Hashiru Shimono),^[11][12] and a bronze medal as part of the Japanese mixed team.^[13][14] In the same year, he competed in the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. He won a silver medal in mixed doubles partnering Lee Chia-hsin of Chinese Taipei (competing under the Mixed-NOCs banner) and reached the quarterfinals in the boys' singles, losing to Ginting.^[15][16][17] He also helped Japan win a bronze medal in the mixed team event at the World Junior Championships in Alor Setar, Malaysia.^[18]

While still a high school student, Tsuneyama competed against senior players at the All Japan Badminton Championships, reaching the quarterfinals in 2013 and the semifinals in 2014.^[19] After graduating from high school in 2015, he joined the Tonami Transportation badminton team, citing his ambition to compete in the Olympics as his motivation.^[20]

Career

2016: First international title

In 2016, Tsuneyama won his first senior international title at the Finnish Open in April, defeating Nguyễn Tiến Minh of Vietnam in the final.^[21] He also reached the finals of the Austrian Open in February and the Spanish International in June, where he was runner-up to Anders Antonsen of Denmark on both occasions.^[22][23] Additionally, Tsuneyama advanced to his first BWF Grand Prix Gold final at the U.S. Open in July, where he lost to Lee Hyun-il of South Korea.^[24] Starting the season with a world ranking of No. 140, Tsuneyama reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 45 as of 28 August 2016, and entered the top 50.

2017: First Grand Prix Gold title

In 2017, Tsuneyama won two international titles, beginning with the Austrian Open in February.^[25] He followed this by winning his first Grand Prix Gold title at the Canada Open in July, where he defeated compatriot Kento Momota in the final.^[26] Momota was competing in his first international tournament following a suspension.^[27] By the end of the year, Tsuneyama had reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 27, breaking into the top 30.

2018: First World Tour title, Thomas Cup silver

In 2018, Tsuneyama won his first BWF World Tour title at the Thailand Open, defeating Tommy Sugiarto in the final.^[28] He was the first Japanese men's singles player to win the title in the tournament's 34-year history.^[29] At the World Championships in Nanjing, Tsuneyama reached the quarterfinals for the first time. His run included a victory over the 12th seed, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, before he was eliminated by Liew Daren of Malaysia.^[30][31][32]

In team competitions that year, Tsuneyama was a key member of the Japanese team that won the silver medal at the Thomas Cup in Bangkok.^[33] During the semifinal against defending champion Denmark, with the tie at 2–2, he won the decisive fifth match against Jan Ø. Jørgensen to secure a 3–2 victory and advance the team to the final.^[34][35] Later, he was part of the team that won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta.^[36]

2019: Korea Masters win, top 10 ranking

Tsuneyama won his second World Tour title at the Korea Masters. Entering the tournament unseeded, his path to the final included a victory over sixth seed Srikanth Kidambi, before he defeated two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan 24–22, 21–12 in the final.^[37][38] Earlier that year at the Japan Open, he upset reigning Olympic champion Chen Long 21–14, 21–17 in the first round.^[39] He reached a career-high world ranking of No. 10 as of 26 November 2019.

In team competition, Tsuneyama was part of the Japanese squad that finished as runner-up at the Asian Mixed Team Championships.^[40] Individually, he reached the third round at the World Championships in Basel, where he was defeated by Denmark's Anders Antonsen, the eventual runner-up.^[41] Tsuneyama concluded the year by reaching the semi-finals of the All Japan Badminton Championships, where he lost to Kenta Nishimoto, securing a bronze medal for the third consecutive year.^[42]

2020–2021: Olympic debut, French Open title

In early 2020, Tsuneyama was a member of the Japanese team that won the bronze medal at the 2020 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Manila.^[43] Later that year, he finished as the runner-up at the All Japan Badminton Championships, losing to Kento Momota in the final.^[44]

Tsuneyama made his Olympic debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, held in 2021. In the men's singles event, he advanced from his group stage by defeating Julien Paul of Mauritius and Ygor Coelho of Brazil. He was subsequently eliminated in the round of 16 by Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.^[45][46][47]

In team competitions later in 2021, Tsuneyama contributed to Japan winning a silver medal at the 2021 Sudirman Cup in Vantaa and a bronze medal at the 2020 Thomas Cup in Aarhus.^[48][49] In October, Tsuneyama won his first Super 750 title at the 2021 French Open, defeating Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei in the final.^[50] He advanced to the final after his compatriot, Kento Momota, retired from their semifinal match due to injury.^[51]

Achievements

Asian Championships

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2023	Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Anthony Sinisuka Ginting	13–21, 16–21	Bronze

Youth Olympic Games

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2014	Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, China	Lee Chia-hsin	Cheam June Wei Ng Tsz Yau	14–21, 21–23	Silver	[15]

Asia Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2014	Taipei Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan	Shi Yuqi	21–19, 16–21, 16–21	Silver	[9][10]

Boys' doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2014	Taipei Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan	Hashiru Shimono	Kim Jae-hwan Kim Jung-ho	16–21, 17–21	Bronze	[11][12]

BWF World Tour (3 titles, 1 runner-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,^[52] 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.^[53]

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Level	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2018	Thailand Open	Super 500	Tommy Sugiarto	21–16, 13–21, 21–9	Winner	[54]
2019	Korea Masters	Super 300	Lin Dan	24–22, 21–12	Winner	[38]
2021	French Open	Super 750	Chou Tien-chen	15–21, 21–8, 21–17	Winner	[50]
2023	Spain Masters	Super 300	Kenta Nishimoto	21–15, 18–21, 19–21	Runner-up

BWF Grand Prix (1 title, 1 runner-up)

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2016	U.S. Open	Lee Hyun-il	22–24, 8–21	Runner-up	[24]
2017	Canada Open	Kento Momota	22–20, 14–21, 21–14	Winner	[26][27]

  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

  BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles, 2 runners-up)

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
2016	Austrian Open	Anders Antonsen	9–21, 17–21	Runner-up	[22]
2016	Finnish Open	Nguyễn Tiến Minh	21–10, 21–14	Winner	[21]
2016	Spanish International	Anders Antonsen	21–14, 20–22, 18–21	Runner-up	[23]
2017	Austrian Open	Pablo Abián	21–10, 12–21, 21–11	Winner	[25]

  BWF International Challenge tournament

Performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

A

G

S

B

NH

N/A

DNQ

(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

National team

• Junior level

Team events	2014	Ref
Asian Junior Championships	B	[13]
World Junior Championships	B	[18]

• Senior level

Team events	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	Ref
Asian Mixed Team Championships	NH	S	NH			A	[40]
Asian Team Championships	QF	NH	B	NH	A	NH	[43]
Asian Games	B	NH			B	NH	[36]
Thomas Cup	S	NH	B	NH	B	NH	[33][34][35][49]
Sudirman Cup	NH	A	NH	A	NH	B	[48]

Individual competitions

• Junior level

Events	2013	2014	Ref
Asian Junior Championships	A	S	[9][10]
World Junior Championships	4R	QF

• Senior level

Events	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	Ref
Asian Championships	2R	2R	1R	NH		QF	B	1R
World Championships	2R	QF	3R	NH	2R	1R	3R	NH	[30][31][32][41]
Olympic Games	NH			2R	NH			DNQ	[45][46][47]

Tournament	BWF Superseries / Grand Prix				BWF World Tour							Best	Ref
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Malaysia Open	A				1R	QF	NH		A	QF	1R	QF ('19, '23)
India Open	A			1R	A		NH		A	A	1R	1R ('17, '24)
Indonesia Masters	A				1R	2R	1R	1R	A	QF	A	QF ('23)
Thailand Masters	N/A		A				2R	NH		A	A	2R ('20)
German Open	A			3R	2R	QF	NH		A	2R	A	QF ('19)
French Open	A				1R	2R	NH	W	2R	A	1R	W ('21)	[50][51]
All England Open	A				1R	QF	2R	QF	A	1R	1R	QF ('19, '21)
Orléans Masters	A						NH	A		1R	A	1R ('23)
Swiss Open	A			QF	A		NH	A			1R	QF ('17)
Spain Masters	N/A				A				NH	F	A	F ('23)
Thailand Open	A	2R	A		W	SF	A	NH	A			W ('18)	[28][29][54]
Malaysia Masters	A	Q1	A			1R	1R	NH	QF	1R	A	QF ('23)
Singapore Open	A					1R	NH		A	1R	1R	1R ('19, '23, '24)
Indonesia Open	A				QF	1R	NH	2R	1R	1R	1R	QF ('18)
Australian Open	A			2R	A	1R	NH		1R	1R	A	2R ('17)
New Zealand Open	A					SF	NH					SF ('19)
U.S. Open	A	2R	F	QF	A		NH			A		F ('16)	[24]
Canada Open	A			W	A		NH		A	1R	A	W ('17)	[26][27]
Japan Open	Q1	Q2	Q1	1R	1R	2R	NH		QF	2R	2R	QF ('22)	[39]
Korea Open	A			1R	1R	1R	NH		A	1R	A	1R ('17, '18, '19, '23)
Taipei Open	A	Q1	A				NH		A	2R	A	2R ('23)
Hong Kong Open	A			1R	2R	1R	NH			2R	A	2R ('18, '23)
Vietnam Open	QF	A					NH		w/d	A	A	QF ('14)
China Open	A				1R	QF	NH			QF	A	QF ('19, '23)
Macau Open	A			QF	A		NH				A	QF ('17)
Arctic Open	N/A						NH			SF	A	SF ('23)
Denmark Open	A				2R	1R	A	2R	2R	1R	A	2R ('18, '21, '22)
Hylo Open	A								2R	A		2R ('22)
Korea Masters	A	2R	w/d	A		W	NH		A			W ('19)	[37][38]
Japan Masters	N/A									1R	A	1R ('23)
China Masters	A			QF	1R	1R	NH			SF	A	F ('23)
Chinese Taipei Masters	A	2R	3R	N/A								3R ('16)
Yonex / K&D Graphics International	A	QF	A				N/A					QF ('15)
Akita Masters	N/A				w/d	A	NH			N/A		-
Year-end ranking	289	140	51	28	14	10	12	12	23	13	-	10
Tournament	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	Best	Ref

Record against selected opponents

Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 22 August 2024.^[55]

Player Matches Win Lost Diff. Chen Long 2 1 1 0 Lin Dan 5 2 3 –1 Shi Yuqi 6 0 6 –6 Tian Houwei 1 1 0 +1 Zhao Junpeng 3 3 0 +3 Chou Tien-chen 10 3 7 –4 Anders Antonsen 9 2 7 –5 Viktor Axelsen 7 1 6 –5 Jan Ø. Jørgensen 2 2 0 +2 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus 5 0 5 –5 Rajiv Ouseph 2 0 2 –2 Kevin Cordón 1 1 0 +1 Srikanth Kidambi 3 3 0 +3 Parupalli Kashyap 1 1 0 +1 Prannoy H. S. 6 3 3 0 B. Sai Praneeth 2 1 1 0

Player Matches Win Lost Diff. Lakshya Sen 4 0 4 –4 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 9 5 4 +1 Sony Dwi Kuncoro 1 1 0 +1 Tommy Sugiarto 1 1 0 +1 Kento Momota 7 3 4 –1 Kodai Naraoka 2 1 1 0 Lee Zii Jia 3 0 3 –3 Liew Daren 7 5 2 +3 Loh Kean Yew 3 1 2 –2 Heo Kwang-hee 2 2 0 +2 Lee Hyun-il 2 1 1 0 Son Wan-ho 2 0 2 –2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 1 0 1 –1 Kantaphon Wangcharoen 2 0 2 –2 Nguyễn Tiến Minh 3 3 0 +3