Source:REUTERS/JAKUB PORZYCKI
[Saba Sports News] On April 23, according to Japanese media reports, the Ayako Sakuramoto and Arisa Higashino partnership has officially disbanded; at the same time, Arisa Higashino announced her retirement from Japan’s national badminton team. It is understood that both players applied to their respective team supervisors, and they decided to disband the partnership in March. Both athletes stated that they will continue to participate in women’s doubles competitions, but the official partner has yet to be determined. In the registration list for the Japan National Badminton Ranking Tour released by the Japanese Badminton Association, although Kie Nakanishi/Arisa Higashino and Ayako Sakuramoto/Rima Sekino have registered for the women’s doubles events, they are temporary pairings. The Higashino/Yuta Watanabe partnership, which won bronze medals in two consecutive Olympic Games, was dissolved after the Paris Olympics. Since then, Higashino transitioned from mixed doubles to women’s doubles. She started pairing with Sakuramoto from the All-Japan Social Tournament in September 2024, aiming toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This new duo achieved runner-up at the All-Japan Comprehensive Championship in December 2024 and won the India Open in January 2025, showcasing great potential and earning high expectations from fans. However, since February’s Asian Badminton Mixed Team Championships, there has been no further joint participation record for this duo, which lasted only half a year and ended in regret.