History (1991-2000)

  • History of Yonex
  • History of products and athletes

1991

  • American branch office YONEX CORPORATION (predecessor to present YONEX CORPORATION) buys out former Canadian distributor YONEX CANADA (Sales Company).

  • YONEX tennis player Monica Seles becomes World No. 1.

  • Kimiko Jinnai/Hisako Mori are women's doubles runners-up at the All England Open Badminton Championships - it had been 11 years since a Japanese player reached the finals of the tournament.

  • Rising golf star Yasunobu Kuramoto signs with YONEX.

  • The YONEX CARBONWOOD golf club achieves a 48.2% share of the carbon head club market in America, making it the No. 1 choice. (Source: Darrell Survey).

1992

  • First staging of the YONEX Ladies Open Golf Tournament.

  • YONEX provides official badminton equipment, including shuttlecocks, court mats and nets, for the Barcelona Olympics.

  • The first badminton racquet in history with the ISOMETRIC head shape goes on sale.

  • Three-time NCAA Individual Champion and super lefty Phil Mickelson (USA) signs with YONEX.

  • The Isometric 500 badminton racquet with an ISOMETRIC head shape goes on sale.

1993

  • YONEX Big Drivers Squad (a renowned group of global YONEX golfers) visits Japan and holds demonstrations all over the country, displaying their 400 yard drives.

  • YONEX tennis player Kimiko Date reaches the US Open quarter finals for first time.

1994

  • YONEX is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Second Section Index and the Niigata Stock Exchange.

  • The new factory is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment created specifically for string production.

  • YONEX tennis player Sergi Bruguera wins Roland Garros for second consecutive time using the RD-7 racquet.

  • Two-time Japan Amateur Championship winner, golfer Kazuyoshi Yonekura signs with YONEX.

  • The 300cc golf club with an extra-large head - the Super A.D.X. Driver (Japanese Name: Titan Carbon 300) - goes on sale.

  • 14-year-old tennis genius Martina Hingis (Switzerland) signs with YONEX.

1995

  • The industry's first carbon-infused snowboard goes on sale.

  • The all-titanium golf wood, REX KING TITAN, goes on sale.

  • After a 28-month break, YONEX tennis player Monica Seles returns and wins first title after recovery at the Canada Open.

  • In the US Open women's singles fourth round, seven of the 16 players use YONEX racquets.

  • YONEX tennis legend Martina Navratilova announces her retirement from singles with 167 singles titles.

1996

  • YONEX Country Club opens (with 18 holes, 72-par, 6,986 yards).

  • American branch office YONEX CORPORATION U.S.A. (Current: YONEX CORPORATION) is established.

  • 23 of 24 badminton medallists in the Atlanta Olympics compete with YONEX equipment.

  • Atsuko Kikuchi, the then youngest golfer ever to pass the pro test, signs with YONEX.

  • YONEX tennis player Kimiko Date beats Stefanie Maria Graf for the first time in the Fed Cup (Japan vs Germany) to help the Japanese National Team advance to the semi-final.

  • Two YONEX tennis players, Richard Krajicek (Holland) and MaliVai Washington (USA) reach the Wimbledon men's singles final, creating an all-YONEX final. Kimiko Date loses to Stefanie Maria Graf in the women's singles semi-final. Martina Hingis becomes the youngest player to win the women's doubles.

  • YONEX tennis player Monica Seles wins the women's singles title at the Australian Open, winning in all her appearances at the tournament.

  • The SUPER A.D.X. iron women's golf club with the industry's thinnest steel face is launched. It also features the industry's lightest graphite shaft.

  • The Super A.D.X. Titanium - the first driver to be made of metal - goes to market.

  • Snowboarders Hiroki Chihara (Half pipe) and Mamoru Hyodo (Alpine) sign with YONEX.

1997

  • The Japan PGA Tour's YONEX Open Hiroshima is held at YONEX Country Club.

  • Minoru Yoneyama is inaugurated as Chairman of YONEX Group and Kosaku Yoneyama is promoted as the new president of YONEX.

  • YONEX celebrates its 50th anniversary.

  • At 16 years and 3 months YONEX tennis player Martina Hingis becomes the youngest tennis player to win the Australian Open in both singles and doubles.

  • Martina Hingis, aged 16 years old and 6 months, becomes the youngest player in history to reach world No. 1.

  • Golf clubs REKIN SUPER and Titan Pro II with the Pendulum Power System go on sale.

  • YONEX succeeds in making graphite shafts for golf clubs 30% lighter.

  • All YONEX final at Roland Garros with Martina Hingis vs. Iva Majoli (Croatia). Iva Majoli overwhelms Martina Hingis to win the title.

  • YONEX golf player Scott Hoch plays for Team USA in the Ryder Cup. He also wins the Greater Milwaukee Open, his eighth PGA Tour win.

1998

  • YONEX Sports Foundation (Current: YONEX Sports Development Foundation) is established.

  • Change of YONEX logo (Current logo).

  • Minoru Yoneyama received the award for his contributions to youth education through sports.

  • YONEX tennis player Martina Hingis wins both the singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open for a second consecutive year.

  • YONEX tennis player Marcelo Ríos (Chile) becomes male world No. 1 and YONEX tennis player Martina Hingis, becomes female world No. 1, marking a year in which both world No.1s are YONEX players.

  • At the PGA Show held in Orlando, Florida USA, YONEX announces the launch of stainless steel woods and irons of the Super A.D.X. 200 series.

1999

  • Awarded to the Chairman for his continued support to the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championship.

  • YONEX Ladies Open Golf Tournament is held at YONEX Country Club.

  • YONEX tennis player Martina Hingis wins singles and doubles at the Australian Open for a third consecutive time. She is once again World No. 1 for the year.

  • YONEX tennis player Richard Krajicek breaks the (then current) world record of 48 service aces.

  • The first of the CYBERSTAR 2000 range of golf clubs goes on sale.

  • Australian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt signs with YONEX.

2000

  • The POWER CUSHION was one of the first breakthroughs YONEX made with walking shoes, combining shock-absorption with repulsive power. Tests proved that an egg dropped from seven meters onto the cushion would bounce back four meters without breaking.

  • YONEX tennis player Mary Pierce (USA) wins Roland Garros.

  • YONEX tennis player Monica Seles signs a new contract that covers all her equipment, from clothes to shoes and racquets.

  • YONEX tennis player Martina Hingis maintains world No. 1 ranking for second consecutive year.

  • The first badminton racquet to use the Muscle Power system that holds the strings on round archways - the Muscle Power 100 - goes on sale.

pagetop