Chiharu Shida Wins: Badminton, Korea War Reaction & 1.13M Followers

(Xports News Reporter Kim Hyun-ki) Chiharu Shida, the ‘Chanel of badminton’ who has 1.13 million Instagram followers, easily won her first match at the India Open, overcoming the shock of the loss she suffered from Korean players a week ago.

Shida teamed up with Arisa Igarashi in the first round (round of 32) of the women’s doubles at the 2026 World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour India Open (Super 750) held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India on the 13th (Korean time), defeating the pair of Paulina Cybulska and Cornelia Marczak (Poland, 42nd) with a game score of 2-0 (21-3). They were defeated 21-11).

The Shida-Igarashi team especially showed off their perfect performance, stopping the opponent’s attack with just 3 points in the first game. In the second game, they widened the score gap early and advanced to the round of 16.

The team of Shida and Igarashi won the All-Japan Championship at the end of last year, lifting the trophy for the first time since forming the duo in the fall of the same year. In particular, Shida shed tears after winning and revealed that she had suffered a lot.

It is no exaggeration to say that Shida is a star representing Japanese women’s badminton along with singles’ Akane Yamaguchi (#3 in the world).

He enjoys global popularity with more than 1.13 million followers on Instagram, and is also nicknamed ‘the Chanel of badminton’ and ‘the idol of badminton.’

Her skills were also outstanding, and at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, she teamed up with Nami Matsuyama and took third place, winning her first Olympic medal. At last year’s World Championships in Paris, he teamed up with Matsuyama and won a bronze medal.

However, the Shida-Matsuyama team, who became famous in Japan as ‘Shida-Matsu’, announced their disbandment after the Paris World Championships.

Afterwards, Shida took on Igarashi (née Arisa Higashino), who had won bronze medals twice in the Olympic mixed doubles, as her new women’s doubles partner and began competing in the competition last fall, but suffered from poor performance. Then, he took a breather by reaching the top of the All Japan Championships.

However, Shida suffered a shock loss in the first game of the new year. They were unable to exert any effort against the Korean team of Na-eun Jeong and Yeon-woo Lee and lost 0-2. At the time, Shida looked helpless, sitting down on the court blankly.

The Shida-Igarashi pair achieved their first win in the New Year’s international tournament with a complete win in their first match at the India Open, but they will likely have to be very nervous as their next opponent is the world No. 1 pair Ryu Seong-su and Tanning (China).

Given Shida’s immense popularity, many badminton fans are expected to pay attention to whether she can make a comeback at the Ulhae International Tournament with a new partner.