Severe Injury at Ciputra Hanoi, Former World No. 2 Shares Heartfelt Message in Vietnamese

This renowned badminton star recently suffered a very serious injury during the final of Ciputra Hanoi 2026 held at the Xuân Đỉnh Sports Arena (Hanoi).

Recently, former world No. 2 women's doubles badminton player Nami Matsuyama sustained a severe injury in the mixed doubles final of the Ciputra Hanoi - YONEX Sunrise Vietnam International Challenge 2026 which took place on March 29.

Matsuyama suffered a serious knee injury when the score in game 1 was 17-14 in favor of her and her partner Hidoki Midorikawa. The 27-year-old player could not continue, was stretchered off the court, and immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The extent of Matsuyama's injury is still unclear. Most recently, she updated her status on her personal Instagram page in Vietnamese, Japanese, and English.

"To everyone in Vietnam,

Thank you all for coming to the venue to cheer for me. The result this time was not as hoped, but if you enjoyed my performance even a little, I am truly happy. I am also very glad and grateful for the gifts you gave me.

When I had to go to the hospital, I was helped by a Japanese person living in Vietnam, and the tournament support staff also stayed with me until the end. I was truly greatly assisted by the kindness and warmth of everyone in Vietnam.

I will come back stronger so I can meet you all again. If you can wait for my return, I will be incredibly happy.", Matsuyama wrote.

Nami Matsuyama, born in 1998, is a famous Japanese doubles badminton player. She once formed a well-matched and beloved pair with the beauty Chiharu Shida, this duo achieved a World bronze medal, Olympic bronze medal, ASIAD bronze medal, Asian silver medal, won 12 major and minor titles, and reached their best ranking at world No. 2.

After the 2025 World Championships, Matsuyama and Shida split; Shida currently plays women's doubles with Arisa Igarashi—formerly part of the "Couple" pair with Yuta Watanabe—while Matsuyama pairs in mixed doubles with Hidoki Midorikawa, who previously reached world top 10 with Natsu Saito.

The unfortunate injury to Nami Matsuyama meant the pair Chan Yin Chak/Ng Tsz Yau (Hong Kong) claimed the mixed doubles championship at Ciputra Hanoi this year. This is the second consecutive year Ng Tsz Yau has won this event; last season she partnered with Tang Chun Man.

The other champions of Ciputra Hanoi 2026 are Richie Richardo (Indonesia, men's singles), Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj (India, women's singles), Huang Tsung-i/Lin Ting-yu (Taipei, China, men's doubles), and Gronya Somerville/Josephine Wu (Australia-Canada alliance, women's doubles).