Arisa Higashino—renowned worldwide for her success in mixed doubles—has officially turned a new page in her career. Now competing under her married name, Arisa Igarashi, she is teaming up with Chiharu Shida in a high-profile bid for Olympic glory in the women’s doubles discipline. Their ambitious target: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics gold medal and the coveted World No. 1 ranking.
For Shida, this marks the end of an era. After nearly a decade alongside Nami Matsuyama, the celebrated “Yagi Pair” dissolved following the 2025 World Championships in Paris. Together, Shida and Matsuyama clinched 12 BWF World Tour titles, bronze medals at both the World Championships and the Paris Olympics, and prestigious Super 1000 crowns at the All England Open and Indonesia Open. Matsuyama’s decision to step back, citing recurring injuries and the toll of elite competition, brought the successful partnership to a close.
Igarashi’s own path has been no less dramatic. Once part of badminton’s most iconic mixed doubles duo with Yuta Watanabe, she collected multiple Olympic and World Championship medals before their split after the Paris Olympics. Determined to reinvent herself, she briefly joined forces with Ayako Sakuramoto, winning the India Open 2025, but chemistry issues soon ended the experiment.
Now, with Shida by her side, Igarashi embarks on what could be the most defining chapter of her career. The pairing unites Shida’s formidable front-court presence with Igarashi’s tactical brilliance, making them a duo already tipped as Japan’s next powerhouse.
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