Borussia Dortmund's handball department has agreed with Haruno Sasaki to prematurely extend her contract until 2025. The backcourt player will begin her fourth season with BVB in the summer.

Haruno Sasaki, who has been playing for Borussia Dortmund since 2021, will wear the Black & Yellow shirt for at least another year. The versatile Japanese backcourt player has extended her contract with BVB until 2025, making her the second longest-serving player in the squad after Dana Bleckmann. The 28-year-old right-hander has scored 46 goals and notched 33 assists in 15 appearances in the Bundesliga this season and is a key performer in Henk Groener's team.

Head of department Rupert Thiele explained: "We know exactly what we have in Haruno. She's very reliable, a great person and very important for our team." Sporting director Andreas Kuno added: "Haruno is extremely hard-working and very disciplined. She has earned herself a leadership role with us, even though she was slowed down by an injury at the beginning. We can always rely on her in any situation."

Haruno Sasaki said the following of her contract extension: "The coach and my team-mates trust me. That gives me self-belief and helps me enormously. I hardly played at all in my first season because of my back injury, but after that I took my chance. Of course, it's also super to see great team-mates on the court. I'm very proud to play with them and to be able to wear the Black & Yellow shirt in front of such great fans. There are also a lot of Japanese people living here in Dortmund who support me. I feel like I have a family here in Dortmund."