Natsu Saito

Natsu Saito
Personal information
Born (2000-06-09) 9 June 2000
Saitama Prefecture, Japan[1]
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight64 kg (141 lb)
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached byNorio Imai
Women's & mixed doubles
Highest ranking7 (XD with Hiroki Midorikawa, 21 October 2025)
127 (WD with Minami Kawashima, 17 March 2020)
Current ranking107 (XD with Akira Koga, 17 March 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Japan
Sudirman Cup
2025 Xiamen Mixed team
Asian Championships
2025 Ningbo Mixed doubles
Asia Mixed Team Championships
2025 Qingdao Mixed team
World Junior Championships
2017 Yogyakarta Mixed team
2018 Markham Mixed team
Asian Junior Championships
2018 Jakarta Mixed team
2017 Jakarta Mixed team

Natsu Saito (齋藤 夏, Saito Natsu; born 9 June 2000) is a Japanese badminton player.[2] As of 2025, she is affiliated with the Plenty Global Linx badminton team. Saito is a mixed doubles specialist, best known for her partnership with Hiroki Midorikawa. Together, they reached a career-high world ranking of 7, won two World Tour Super 500 titles, and secured the silver medal at the 2025 Asian Championships.

Career

2015–2018: Junior career

Saito made her international debut at the junior level in 2015, reaching the final of the girls' doubles at the Asian U17 Junior Championships with Rumi Yoshida.[3] In 2017, she represented Japan at the World Junior Championships, helping the team secure a bronze medal. That same year, she won the mixed doubles title at the India Junior International with Takuma Obayashi.[4]

In 2018, Saito and partner Hiroki Midorikawa won the mixed doubles title at the German Junior.[5] She was also part of the Japanese squads that won silver at the Asian Junior Championships and a bronze at the World Junior Championships.

2019–2020: Senior debut

Saito began competing in senior international tournaments in 2019. In mixed doubles with Midorikawa, she won titles at the Waikato International and the Vietnam International.[6][7] She also competed in women's doubles with Naru Shinoya, winning the Malaysia International and reaching the final of the Indonesia International.[8][9] Additionally, she reached the final of the White Nights tournament with Minami Kawashima.[10] By March 2020, Saito reached a career-high world ranking of 127 in women's doubles.

2021–2022: International Challenge titles and Super 100 final

In October 2021, Saito and Midorikawa won the mixed doubles title at the Belgian International.[11] The pair defended this title during the 2022 season.[12] In September 2022, they reached the final of the Super 100 Canada Open, finishing as runners-up.[13] Saito competed in her first Super 500 event at the Korea Open in April 2022, reaching the quarterfinals. In women's doubles, she reached the semifinals of the Bendigo International with Kawashima.[14]

2023: First World Tour title

Saito and Midorikawa began 2023 by reaching the semifinal of the Thailand Masters. In July, they won their first World Tour title at the Super 500 Canada Open, defeating the Danish pair Mathias Thyrri and Amalie Magelund.[15] The following month, Saito reached the final of the Super 500 Australian Open, finishing as runner-up to Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping.[16] In the latter half of the season, she reached the semifinal at both the Hong Kong Open and the Arctic Open.

2024: Super 500 final and first World Tour Finals

Saito and Midorikawa opened the season with a quarterfinal finish at the Malaysia Open. In late January, they reached the final of the Super 500 Indonesia Masters, finishing as runners-up to the Chinese pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.[17] Throughout the year, Saito achieved semifinal results at the Thailand Masters and the Baoji China Masters, as well as quarterfinal appearances at the China Open and the Japan Masters. She concluded the season by qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals in December, where the pair was eliminated in the group stage.

2025: Super 500 title and partnership conclusion

Saito and Midorikawa began the 2025 season with quarterfinal finishes at the Malaysia Open and India Open. In late January, the pair won the Super 500 Indonesia Masters title, defeating Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui in straight games.[18] In March, Saito transferred to the Plenty Global Linx badminton team.[19] At the Asian Championships in Ningbo, she and Midorikawa advanced to the final but were defeated by Hong Kong's Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, securing the silver medal.[20] Saito also represented Japan in team events, winning bronze medals at both the Asia Mixed Team Championships in February and the Sudirman Cup in April.[21][22] Later in the season, the pair reached the quarterfinals of the World Championships and the semifinals of the Denmark Open.[23] In October, they achieved a career-high world ranking of 7. Saito and Midorikawa concluded their partnership at the BWF World Tour Finals in December, where they advanced to the semifinals.[24][25]

2026: New partnership

Following the conclusion of her partnership with Hiroki Midorikawa, Saito formed a new mixed doubles pair with Akira Koga. The pair made their international debut at the season-opening Malaysia Open, where they advanced to the second round after defeating compatriots Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara.[26]

Achievements

Asian Championships

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium,
Ningbo, China 		Hiroki Midorikawa Tang Chun Man
Tse Ying Suet 		15–21, 21–17, 13–21 Silver [20]

BWF World Tour (2 titles, 3 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[27] 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.[28]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2022 Canada Open Super 100 Hiroki Midorikawa Ye Hong-wei
Lee Chia-hsin 		21–12, 12–21, 15–21 Runner-up [13]
2023 Canada Open Super 500 Hiroki Midorikawa Mathias Thyrri
Amalie Magelund 		21–17, 16–21, 21–13 Winner [15]
2023 Australian Open Super 500 Hiroki Midorikawa Feng Yanzhe
Huang Dongping 		14–21, 21–16, 15–21 Runner-up [16]
2024 Indonesia Masters Super 500 Hiroki Midorikawa Zheng Siwei
Huang Yaqiong 		15–21, 16–21 Runner-up [17]
2025 Indonesia Masters Super 500 Hiroki Midorikawa Guo Xinwa
Chen Fanghui 		21–15, 21–17 Winner [18]

BWF International Challenge/Series (5 titles, 2 runners-up)

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 White Nights Minami Kawashima Yukino Nakai
Nao Ono 		21–18, 17–21, 13–21 Runner-up [10]
2019 Indonesia International Naru Shinoya Anggia Shitta Awanda
Pia Zebadiah Bernadet 		19–21, 18–21 Runner-up [9]
2019 Malaysia International Naru Shinoya Yulfira Barkah
Agatha Imanuela 		21–15, 21–23, 21–9 Winner [8]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 Waikato International Hiroki Midorikawa Simon Leung
Gronya Somerville 		21–15, 21–13 Winner [6]
2019 Vietnam International Hiroki Midorikawa Vichayapong Kanjanakeereewong
Ruethaichanok Laisuan 		21–16, 21–8 Winner [7]
2021 Belgian International Hiroki Midorikawa Jesper Toft
Clara Graversen 		21–18, 21–9 Winner [11][29]
2022 Belgian International Hiroki Midorikawa Chiu Hsiang-chieh
Lin Xiao-min 		21–13, 21–17 Winner [12]
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

BWF Junior International (2 titles, 3 runners-up)

Girls' doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2017 German Junior Rin Iwanaga Kim Min-ji
Seong Ah-yeong 		16–21, 14–21 Runner-up [30]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2017 India Junior International Takuma Obayashi Rinov Rivaldy
Angelica Wiratama 		18–21, 21–16, 21–17 Winner [4]
2018 Dutch Junior Hiroki Midorikawa Guo Xinwa
Liu Xuanxuan 		21–16, 18–21, 19–21 Runner-up [31]
2018 German Junior Hiroki Midorikawa Wang Chan
Jeong Na-eun 		19–21, 21–18, 21–17 Winner [5]
2018 Banthongyord Junior International Hiroki Midorikawa Kunlavut Vitidsarn
Lalinrat Chaiwan 		21–23, 18–21 Runner-up [32]
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
  BWF Junior International Challenge tournament

Record against selected opponents

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 18 March 2026.[33]

Akira Koga

Hiroki Midorikawa

References

  1. ^ "選手プロフィール 齋藤 夏". 日本バドミントン協会（NBA）. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Natsu SAITO | Profile". bwfbadminton.com. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. ^ Wong, Gerard (11 October 2015). "Singapore shuttlers win singles and doubles gold in Indonesia". Todayonline.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Indonesia Wins One Title in India". Kompas.com (in Indonesian). 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b "YONEX German Junior: The Winners". German Badminton Association (in German). 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Meet the winners from the YONEX Waikato International 2019". Badminton Oceania. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ^ a b Hoàng, Việt (14 April 2019). "Kết thúc giải cầu lông Ciputra Hanoi 2019: Indonesia, Nhật Bản thắng lớn" (in Vietnamese). Thể Thao. Retrieved 24 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ^ a b "[Malaysia International Challenge 2019] Agatha/Yulfira Finished as Runner-up" (in Indonesian). Djarum Badminton Club. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ^ a b Tegar, Bimo (28 October 2019). "(Caffino Indonesia International Challenge) Successfully Held, Indonesia Takes Three Titles" (in Indonesian). Djarum Badminton. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  10. ^ a b Liew, Vincent (14 July 2019). "Iskandar Zulkarnain wins 2019 White Nights International Challenge". BadmintonPlanet.com. Retrieved 24 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ^ a b "[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.
  12. ^ a b Martinez, Sara Gonzalez (19 September 2022). "YONEX Belgian International 2022: Asia wins all the titles". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Taiwanese duo Ye, Lee claim Canada Open title". The Taipei Times. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ^ "Semifinal results at the YONEX Bendigo International 2022". Badminton Oceania. 15 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Winners crowned at Calgary-hosted Yonex Canada Open badminton event". Calgary Sun. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ^ a b "Australian Open: Beiwen Snaps Blip on Surgery Anniversary". Badminton World Federation. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. ^ a b Kumar, Prem (28 January 2024). "Indonesia Masters: Immortality Unlocked". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 24 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ^ a b "[indonesia Masters 2025] Mixed Doubles Players Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito Defeat the Chinese Pair to Reach the Top! First Victory in a Long Time at a Top Tour Tournament! <final Results>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 26 January 2025. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Transfer of Natsu Saito" (in Japanese). ACT Saikyo. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Historic Gold for Hong Kong China in Mixed Doubles". Badminton Asia. 13 April 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ^ "China Charges into BAMTC 2025 Finals After Epic Showdown Against Japan". Badminton Asia. 16 February 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  22. ^ "Defending champions China power past Japan to reach Sudirman Cup final". nst.com.my. New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Badminton Denmark Open 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 14 October 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  24. ^ "[Badminton] Nami Matsuyama forms mixed doubles pair with Hiroki Midorikawa: 'I will express the joy of being on the court through my play". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 5 November 2025. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  25. ^ Fentuo, Fentuo Tahiru (20 December 2025). "BWF World Tour Finals 2025: Christo Popov reaches historic final; An Seyoung to face Wang Zhiyi for women's singles title". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  26. ^ "Badminton Malaysia Open 2026: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 12 January 2026. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  29. ^ "[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.
  30. ^ Myojin, Kenichi (12 March 2017). "German Junior Championships 2017 | Reports". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  31. ^ Tomokane, Yukio (5 March 2018). "Dutch Junior Championships 2018 | Reports". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  32. ^ Tomokane, Yukio (30 April 2018). "ROZA BTY Junior International Challenge 2018 | Results". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  33. ^ "Natsu SAITO – Head To Head". Badminton World Federations. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
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