Saori Obata
Saori Obata (Japanese: 小畑沙織, Obata Saori, born 23 April 1978) is a retired female tennis player from Japan.[1] She turned professional in April 1996, and in February 2004, she achieved her career-high singles ranking of 39, and on the same day she reached her career-high doubles ranking of 98.
| Country (sports) |  |
|---|---|
| Residence | Tokyo |
| Born | 23 April 1978 Sapporo |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Turned pro | April 1996 |
| Retired | June 2006 |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $652,031 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 281–222 |
| Career titles | 0 WTA, 6 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 39 (9 February 2004) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2004) |
| French Open | 1R (2002, 2003, 2004) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2002, 2004) |
| US Open | 3R (2003) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 118–102 |
| Career titles | 1 WTA, 2 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 98 (9 February 2004) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2004) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2003, 2005) |
| US Open | 1R (2003) |
Biography
She did not win a singles title on WTA Tour in her career, however did reach one singles final in Tashkent in 2003 where she lost in two sets to Virginia Ruano-Pascual. In the same year, she reached the semifinals 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 in straight sets when Dokić was ranked 11th in the world. She also defeated Ai Sugiyama in the second round of the Australian Open in 2004 when ranked No. 55, this was her only win over a top-ten player as Sugiyama was ranked No. 9 at the time.
She won a doubles title at WTA-level (Memphis 2003, with Akiko Morigami), and 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.
ITF titles
Singles
| No. | Date | Location | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 April 1996 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Hard |  |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 2. | 18 November 2001 | Port Pirie, Australia | Hard |  |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 3. | 25 November 2001 | Nuriootpa, Australia | Hard | |
6–4, 6–1 |
| 4. | 11 May 2003 | Fukuoka, Japan | Clay |  |
2–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 5. | 3 April 2005 | Augusta, United States | Hard |  |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 6. | 8 May 2005 | Gifu, Japan | Hard | |
6–1, 2–6, 6–4 |
References
External links
- Saori Obata at the Women's Tennis Association
- Saori Obata at the International Tennis Federation
- Saori Obata at the Fed Cup