Saori Obata
Encyclopedia
Saori Obata is a female former Japanese tennis player. She turned professional in April 1996, and on February 9, 2004, she achieved her career-high singles ranking of 39, and on the same day she reached her career-high doubles ranking of 98.
She did not win a WTA
singles title in her career, however did reach 1 singles final in Tashkent
, Uzbekistan
in 2003 where she lost 6–2, 7–6(2) to the Spanish player Virginia Ruano-Pascual. In the same year she reached the semi-final of the WTA event in Bali
, Indonesia
before losing to Chanda Rubin
. She achieved a notable scalp in the opening round of the Eastbourne grass event in 2003, when she defeated Jelena Dokić
6–3 6–1 when Dokić was ranked 11 in the world. She also defeated Ai Sugiyama
in the second round of the Australian Open
in 2004 when ranked number 55, this was her only win over a top 10 player as Sugiyama was ranked number 9 at the time.
She has won a doubles title at WTA level (Memphis
2003, with Akiko Morigami
), and has five ITF
level singles titles. Her final Grand Slam appearance was at the 2006 Australian Open where she lost in the opening round, having qualified, to Daniela Hantuchová
in three sets. She retired from professional tennis in June 2006 because of injury.
She did not win a WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
singles title in her career, however did reach 1 singles final in Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
in 2003 where she lost 6–2, 7–6(2) to the Spanish player Virginia Ruano-Pascual. In the same year she reached the semi-final of the WTA event in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
before losing to Chanda Rubin
Chanda Rubin
Chanda Rubin is an American tennis player. Winning seven WTA Tour singles titles, she reached her highest ranking World No. 6 on April 8, 1996, after reaching semifinals at the 1996 Australian Open. Rubin is also former World No...
. She achieved a notable scalp in the opening round of the Eastbourne grass event in 2003, when she defeated Jelena Dokić
Jelena Dokic
Jelena Dokić is an Australian female professional tennis player.During the height of her career, she played for Serbia and Montenegro and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4 on 19 August 2002. After several family-related difficulties , she slowly slipped down the rankings in 2006...
6–3 6–1 when Dokić was ranked 11 in the world. She also defeated Ai Sugiyama
Ai Sugiyama
is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992...
in the second round of the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
in 2004 when ranked number 55, this was her only win over a top 10 player as Sugiyama was ranked number 9 at the time.
She has won a doubles title at WTA level (Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
2003, with Akiko Morigami
Akiko Morigami
Akiko Morigami is a Japanese female tennis player. She turned professional in 1998. On August 15, 2005, Morigami reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 41....
), and has five ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
level singles titles. Her final Grand Slam appearance was at the 2006 Australian Open where she lost in the opening round, having qualified, to Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
in three sets. She retired from professional tennis in June 2006 because of injury.
Singles (5)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tour Championships (0) |
| Tier I Event (0) |
| Tier II Event (0) |
| Tier III Event (0) |
| Tier IV Event (0) |
| ITF Circuit (5) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | November 18, 2001 | Port Pirie, Australia | Hard |  Pavlina NolaPavlina Nola Pavlina Stoyanova-Nola is a former tennis player who played for both Bulgaria and New Zealand in her professional career... |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 2. | November 25, 2001 | Nuriootpa, Australia | Hard |  Yoon-Jeong Cho |
6–4, 6–1 |
| 3. | May 11, 2003 | Fukuoka Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by... , Japan |
Clay |  Maria Elena CamerinMaria Elena Camerin Maria Elena Camerin is a professional female tennis player from Italy.On 11 October 2004, Camerin reached her career-high singles ranking: World No... |
2–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 4. | April 3, 2005 | Augusta Augusta Augusta, a feminine form of the name of the Roman Emperor Augustus, is also part of the original Latin names of many ancient places named after him, as well as their modern descendants and later places given that name in honor of him or some other notable of his name.Augusta can mean:-In... , United States |
Hard |  Victoria AzarenkaVictoria Azarenka Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots.... |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 5. | May 8, 2005 | Gifu Gifu, Gifu is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used... , Japan |
Hard |  Shiho HisamatsuShiho Hisamatsu Shiho Hisamatsu is a Japanese women's tennis player.Hisamatsu turned professional in 2004 at the U.S. Open Qualifying round. Her highest WTA singles ranking record is 143rd, which she achieved on November 6, 2006.-Record:-External links:... |
6–1, 2–6, 6–4 |