Koki Watanabe is only a dozen centimetres taller than the badminton net at 5-foot-5. He is perhaps the shortest amongst any Top 100 men’s singles players currently. But the 26-year-old Japanese has had a season to remember in 2025. The 27th ranked shuttler might want to forget how he wound up losing to an opponent from Azerbaijan over the summer, but just like that, he popped up again this week beating one of the tallest rivals around in 6-foot-4 Ayush Shetty, and then outlasting Top 5 Jonatan Christie in 80 long minutes at the French Open round of 16, 11-21, 21-19, 25-23 on Cesson-Sevigne.
The reason not many talk about him is because there is always so much to talk about his defeated opponents. His unassuming, unintimidating stature might play a part in him staying in the shadow since he is only Japanese No 4 in rankings, and not particularly consistent. But the opponents’ losses wail away in the wind, and steal his little thunders. Like Lee Zii Jia who lost thrice to him, and had three different elaborately wretched tales – injury, exhaustion, loss of motivation – to explain them away. Everything but Koki’s own sparky play.
Snapping Christie’s 11-match win streak became all about the Indonesian, and getting the better of Ayush Shetty a second time didn’t draw the gasps despite one being nearly a foot taller than the other.
Koki has beaten Kodai Naraoka and Kunlavut Vitidsarn, even Alex Lanier, who have three diverse styles of play – ultra defensive, all-round and hyper attacking – with perseverance and variations. He has a Super 500 title to his name beating Lanier, but titles don’t exactly occur frequently in Koki’s case, and he is stuck on bronze since his World Junior days a decade ago at bigger events.
But here’s how he wins. Like Akane Yamaguchi, Koki has stellar footwork and court coverage. His defense is Japanese – thorough, fuss-free, quick and worthy of reel extracts. He bounces around the court and has a whiplash kill. He can also keep going on with high energy reserves, though things peter out more often than not, like they eventually did against Li Shifeng at the French Open quarterfinal. But his desire to keep fighting stays undiminished ever since Kento Momota told him he needs to believe he can fight like a champion.
It’s tough to dream high, from that eyeline of 167 cms, but Yamaguchi didn’t become world champion thrice by sitting and moping about her height, 5-foot-1. The Japanese, always, find a way.
Life at Saitama Sakae
It’s not like Koki started out terribly conscious of his stature and limitations either. His incredible skills in shot making and self-belief meant he fancied he could take on the world, even in high school. He backed himself.Tale has it that he was offered a scholarship at one of Japan’s finest sports schools, Saitama Sakae. They teach how to immerse themselves in badminton, and everything from 7.30 am to 8 pm revolves around the sport. It is continuous match mode, so problem solving is taught pretty early and simulations are routine. “I really enjoy and learn from constantly thinking about what I need to do to win, and which of my plays are good and which are bad. Badminton is a sport where dominating your opponent is important, so you absolutely have to think to get better,” Koki told Koshigaya Saitama city website, a decade ago.
While at Saitama, an old alumnus, London Olympian Kenichi Tago, a phenom back then and precursor to Momota, came visiting his old training centre. An upbeat Koki went up against him and though he lost, he drew quite an applause for how he played. In his head, he had impressed. He approached Tago, thinking a pat on the back was imminent. He received the mercurial, blunt Tago’s whiplash feedback, instead.
“When I was in the third year of junior high school, I had the opportunity to play against Tago, and although there was a difference in our abilities, I felt that I had played well. However, when I went to ask for advice after the match, he simply said that my game was no good at all,” Koki would tell later.
Tago would shred his delusion about being a talented player with fancy trickery. “He said there were too many unnecessary feints and meaningless movements in my play, and it was far more difficult to play against the world’s top players. I had to play more simply. He told me, and I was extremely shocked,” he would recall. A chastising like that, and Koki would shudder but recalibrate his thinking.
He would take the advice with an open heart, and set about repairing his shots, pruning the flair and flashy strokes that cost him matches. A breathlessly attacking aggressive style at high speed, was toned down, tempered with caution, and nuanced to make it workable. “There are many flaws that I am not aware of myself, so the opinions of those around me are invaluable in helping me grow. I make notes on my cell phone of advice I receive from my seniors, coaches, and teammates, and refer back to it whenever the opportunity arises,” he told the same publication.
Koshigaya, where Koki comes from, is known for its iconic daruma dolls. These are inspired by the Buddhist Zen founder, Bodhidharma, who might have travelled from ancient India, and sat in meditation for nine years, letting his limbs drop off. But perseverance is topmost quality preached at Koshigaya in the Saitama prefecture, and Koki went from being an uber-confident youngster, in thrall of his own attack, and ability to overcome the height (and striding) limitation, to someone who worked on his game to ensure he won games internationally.
A top title still eludes Koki, but this week highlighted why he can snipe at any game and hack at any attack with his unique set of skills. At some point, the world might realise he is earning those wins, and this isn’t about his opponents choking or faltering on an off-day. That Koki Watanabe, isn’t content being a journeyman.
Koki Watanabe bounces around the court and has a whiplash kill. (Instagam/Japan Society) 
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