Rising Star Reveals Doubles Preference

Thailand’s genius badminton girl Pichamon Opatniputh (ranked 29th in the world) has expressed her desire to partner with Chiharu Shida of Japan in women’s doubles. This revelation came from recent reports in Thai media.

Pichamon, born in 2007, gained prominence as the 2023 World Junior Championships women’s singles champion. She is affectionately known as ‘Thai Princess’ due to her popularity and charming appearance.

Recent Performance and Role Models

Recently, Pichamon reached the women’s singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Indonesia Masters (Super 500), where she faced Chen Yufei (China, world 3rd) and lost with a score of 0-2.

When asked about her role models ahead of the final match against Chen Yu-fei, Pichamon drew attention by answering, It’s Tai Tzu-ying (retired) and Ahn Se-young.

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Despite admiring Ahn Se-young, Pichamon selected a different player as her preferred doubles partner.

Why Chiharu Shida?

According to reports, Pichamon’s desired doubles partner is Japan’s Chiharu Shida, born in 1997.

Shida is a prominent figure in Japanese badminton, alongside Akane Yamaguchi (world No. 3). Known for her skills and striking appearance, she boasts over 1.13 million followers on Instagram, earning her the nicknames Chanel of Badminton and Idol of Badminton.

Shida secured a bronze medal in badminton women’s doubles with Nami Matsuyama at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and was named BWF Women’s Doubles Player of the Year at the finish of that season.

The Shida-Matsuyama partnership, known as ‘Shida-Matsu’, concluded after the Paris World Championships in July of last year, leading Shida to team up with Arisa Igarashi, a two-time Olympic mixed doubles bronze medalist.

Fan Reaction

Pichamon’s choice of Shida as her doubles partner has generated excitement among fans, who are eager to see the two players collaborate on the court.