Zhang Yawen heads east to Japan

Chinese women’s and mixed doubles specialist Zhang Yawen has officially joined Japan’s Unisys Club as a player-cum-coach.  Zhang retired from  international tournament play after her last appearance in the World Championships last year.  A very successful doubles player, she won gold at the All England Championships and World Championships with Zhao Tingting in 2009. She was also the bronze medalist in the Olympics Games 2008 with Wei Yili.

Zhang Yawen left China on June 2nd, 2011. With Yawen now part of Unisys, this should prove especially advantageous towards Unisys’ doubles players like Reiko Shiota, Misaki Matsutomo, and Ayaka Takahashi.

Zhang is not the first international star to join a corporate team in Japan.  Candra Wijaya, who joined Tonami in 2006, is one of several Indonesian players to have played for a Japanese team in recent years.