 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Country (sports) |  Japan |
|---|---|
| Residence | Tokyo |
| Born | (1978-04-23)23 April 1978 (age 47)[1][2] |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Turned pro | April 1996 |
| Retired | June 2006 |
| Plays | Left (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) |
Saori Obata (Japanese:小畑沙織,Obata Saori; born 23 April 1978) is a formertennis player from Japan.[3] She turned professional in April 1996, and in February 2004, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of 39, and on the same day, she reached her best doubles ranking of 98.
She did not win a singles title onWTA Tour in her career, however did reach one final in Tashkent in 2003 where she lost in two sets toVirginia Ruano Pascual. In the same year, she reached the semifinals of the WTA Tour event in Bali, Indonesia, before losing toChanda Rubin.
Having had moderate success on theITF Junior Circuit – reaching a career high ranking of 55 – Obata made her WTA Tour-level professional debut in 1996, at the age of 18, at the Tier IV event at Surabaya, where she lost toHila Rosen in qualifying, in straight sets. However, she subsequently qualified for Tier IV events in Beijing and Pattaya, and played a number of Asian WTA Tour events in the subsequent two years. However, her first big breakthrough tournament came in 2000, when she reached the quarterfinals of the Tier IV tournament in Shanghai as a qualifier, with wins overLilia Osterloh andYuka Yoshida, before falling toMeghann Shaughnessy. She ended 2000 ranked inside the top 200, at No. 161.
Her first full season of regular tour-level tennis started at the Tier V tournament in Hobart, where she qualified for the main draw, before losing toAnna Smashnova in two close sets. She then attempted to qualify for theAustralian Open, beatingAlena Vašková andAngelika Rösch, before falling in the final qualifying round toLaurence Andretto in three sets.
Obata then had a breakthrough tournament in the highest-tierPan Pacific Open in Tokyo, winning through qualifying by beating top seedKristie Boogert, wildcardKumiko Iijima andJanette Husárová. She then beat fellow qualifierKatarina Srebotnik in the first round, before finally falling to third seedAnna Kournikova in a close three-setter.
She struggled in the next three tournaments, losing in the first round inAcapulco,Indian Wells andKey Biscayne, before dropping back down to ITF-level at the $25k event inStone Mountain. As seventh seed, she won one round against wildcardErin Burdette before losing toMarion Maruska. In Japan'sFed Cup tie against Argentina, Obata played two singles matches – losing in straight sets toMaría Emilia Salerni, before beatingClarisa Fernández by retirement.
Saori returned to winning ways in May, participating in two Japanese $50k events. In Gifu, she beatChristina Wheeler, compatriotAkiko Morigami andAnnabel Ellwood before losing to second seedAlicia Molik in three sets in the semifinals. She then reached the final ofFukuoka, beatingBryanne Stewart,Haruka Inoue,Adriana Barna, andLenka Dlhopolcova, before losing again to Molik in the final, in straight sets.
She lost in straight sets in the second round of qualifying at theFrench Open to CanadianMarie-Ève Pelletier.
The grass-court season saw her struggle to win consistently, reaching the second round of the $25k event in Surbiton with a win over BritLucie Ahl before a third successive loss to Molik, while at theBirmingham Classic she beatDragana Zarić in qualifying before losing toEleni Daniilidou. She entered the main draw as alucky loser, but lost in straight sets to 15th seedAnne-Gaëlle Sidot. AtWimbledon, she again reached the final round of qualifying by beating two British wildcards, Alice Barnes andHelen Crook, before again losing in straight sets to Daniilidou.
In the North American hardcourt swing, Obata again struggled to string wins together. She lost early in qualifying forSan Diego toJennifer Hopkins, before an impressive win overAnastasia Myskina in the opening qualifying round of the Tier II event atManhattan Beach Open Tennis Tournament, before falling toAlexandra Stevenson. She then moved on to the $50kBronx Open, again defeating Boogert in the opening round before losing toMartina Müller. As the qualifying 16th seed at theUS Open, she beatMashona Washington in the opening round before exiting toSamantha Reeves.
After a first round exit at the Tier IV event inWaikoloa toLisa Raymond, Obata received a wildcard into theToyota Princess Cup in Tokyo, beating qualifierShiho Hisamatsu in the opening round. She then lost to fourth seedSandrine Testud, in three sets. She got another wildcard into theJapan Open, beatingAlexandra Fusai andMarlene Weingärtner, before losing heavily to second seedTamarine Tanasugarn in the quarter-finals. In the Tier IV event in Shanghai, she lost toMonica Seles in the second round having dispatched a youngLi Na in the opener.
A further second-round loss in Pattaya saw Obata decide to finish the season at challenger level with two $25k tournaments in Port Pirie and Nuriootpa, South Australia. As the top seed, she won the tournament in Port Pirie, beatingYuliya Beygelzimer,Amanda Grahame, Christina Wheeler,Jaslyn Hewitt andPavlina Nola. She also won, as second seed, her final tournament of the year in Nuriootpa, beating qualifier Anouk Sterk,Samantha Stosur, Wheeler again,Bryanne Stewart, andCho Yoon-jeong in the final.
These two tournament wins meant Obata finished the year ranked just outside the top 100 at 116,[4] but had cracked the top 100 for the first time during the year at 94.
Obata started the year with a warm-up tournament in Australia inCanberra, where she qualified for the main draw, defeatingMiho Saeki,Maureen Drake and Lucie Ahl, before falling in the opening round to Anna Smashnova, 1–6, 3–6. She then made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at theAustralian Open as a direct entrant. She lost in straight sets toMaria Elena Camerin.
She then qualified for the Tier IPan Pacific Open in Tokyo, beatingJill Craybas,Jennifer Hopkins and Alicia Molik to reach the main draw. She then fell in straight sets to the seventh seedElena Dementieva. Obata then entered the Tier III event inMemphis, but lost 6–7(6), 4–6 in the first round to Japanese number one,Ai Sugiyama. She then lost toEvelyn Fauth in the opening round of a $50k event inMinneapolis. Obata then played singles and doubles matches in theFed Cup Asia–Oceania Group B, winning three of her four matches to help seal promotion to theWorld Group.
After an early loss in Miami, Obata dropped down to challenger level to gain some confidence and wins. She reached the quarter finals of the $25k event inLawrenceville as top seed, by defeatingLaura Granville andDessislava Topalova, before a defeat to qualifierTeryn Ashley. She then lost to Ashley again in a $50k event at Naples in the first round.
Obata then went back to Japan to play two more Challenger events inGifu andFukuoka. She defeatedHannah Collin andAyami Takase to reach the quarterfinals of the former – losing toJeon Mi-ra – and reached the second round in the latter with another win over Takase, before close three-set loss toNana Miyagi. AtRoland Garros, where she made her main draw debut, Obata lost 6–0, 2–6, 0–6 toAlina Jidkova.
The grass-court season started badly for Obata, with first-round losses in theSurbiton challenger toTara Snyder, and in the first round inBirmingham toDája Bedáňová. Despite a win overStéphanie Foretz Gacon in the first round ofEastbourne qualifying, she fell to a surprising defeat toWynne Prakusya in the next round. However, she achieved her first main drawGrand Slam win atWimbledon with a comprehensive 6–1, 6–3 over former semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson. She lost 2–6, 2–6 toEleni Daniilidou in the second round.
After her Slam breakthrough, Obata followed up by reaching the final of the $50k event inLouisville, before losing to top seed Alina Jidkova. However, she then lost in the first round of the next $50k event inLexington toLindsay Lee-Waters. She qualified for the Tier I event inMontreal, defeatingMarie-Gaïané Mikaelian and Jidkova, before losing to Anna Kournikova in straight sets. Her final US Open warm-up event was in New Haven, where she lost in straight sets in the first round of qualifying toÉmilie Loit. In the US Open main draw, she was drawn against 12th seed Elena Dementieva, but lost 2–6, 4–6.
Obata then moved on to the Asian swing for her final tournaments of 2002, but lost to Sugiyama in the first round of the Tier IV event in Shanghai, and in three sets toPatricia Wartusch in the opening round of theToyota Princess Cup. She got back to winning ways in the Tier III event in Bali, with straight sets wins over Jill Craybas andEmmanuelle Gagliardi, before a three-set loss toArantxa Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals. She finished her year with two straight sets, first-round losses at the Japan Open toJelena Kostanić Tošić and in Pattaya toAdriana Serra Zanetti.
She ended the year ranked just outside the top 100 at 108.
Obata started the year with by qualifying for the Tier V WTA event in Canberra, defeatingClaudine Schaul, top seedDally Randriantefy andTatiana Poutchek to reach the main draw. She then defeatedVirginia Ruano Pascual in the first round, before losing to unseeded Italian Adriana Serra Zanetti. She then failed to qualify for the Australian Open main draw, losing in the final round of qualifying to María Emilia Salerni, in straight sets.
After the Australian Open, she lost in the first round of thePan Pacific Open toMagdalena Maleeva, before gaining revenge against Adriana Serra Zanetti for her Canberra defeat in the opening round of theHyderabad Open, in straight sets. She then lost to fifth seedIroda Tulyaganova. Obata then reached the quarterfinals of the Memphis Tier III tournament, defeating CanadianVanessa Webb and fourth seed Alexandra Stevenson, before losing to Cho Yoon-jeong. It was at this tournament that she won her sole WTA Tour doubles title, together withAkiko Morigami. After withdrawing from Scottsdale before playing, she lost in qualifying at theIndian Wells Open to 11th seed Maureen Drake, after defeatingOlga Barabanschikova in the opening round. She then lost in qualifying at tournaments in Key Biscayne, Sarasota and Charleston.
Obata played two singles matches in Japan's Fed Cup Asia-Oceania qualifying group matches againstNew Zealand and Hong Kong, winning both her singles matches.
Saori then had two very successful ITF events in Japan, reaching the final of the $50k grass-court event in Gifu as second seed, defeatingJulie Pullin,Tomoko Yonemura, Maria Elena Camerin, andRika Fujiwara, before losing to top seed and rivalShinobu Asagoe. She then, as top seed. won the $50k tournament in Fukuoka on carpet, defeatingSeiko Okamoto,Nana Miyagi,Jarmila Gajdošová,Zi Yan and then Maria Elena Camerin in the final.
At the French Open, she lost in the first round to AmericanAshley Harkleroad 6–4, 6–2.
She made a further breakthrough in the grass-court season. Despite first-round losses at theSurbiton Trophy andBirmingham Classic tournaments, she won through qualifying at the Tier IIEastbourne tournament. She then achieved a notable scalp in the opening round, when she defeatedJelena Dokić in straight sets when Dokić was ranked 11th in the world. She then lost in a final-set tiebreak in the second round to Anna Smashnova. She then made her debut appearance onNo. 1 Court atWimbledon in the first round, where she held three match points against 21st seedElena Bovina before losing 6–7(5), 6–2, 6–8.
The North American hardcourt season brought mixed fortunes – with Obata reaching the main draw at San Diego (as a lucky loser) but losing toLina Krasnoroutskaya, before winning a round as awildcard in Los Angeles againstVirginie Razzano, before losing to compatriot and fourth seedAi Sugiyama. At the Tier I tournament in Toronto, Obata qualified and defeated compatriotShinobu Asagoe in the first round, before falling to seventh seedAmanda Coetzer. Her final tournament before theUS Open was at New Haven, where she lost in the final round in qualifying, but was selected as alucky loser. She lost to former Wimbledon championConchita Martínez.
However, she subsequently achieved her best Grand Slam performance to date, reaching the US Open third round, defeating qualifierSun Tiantian 6–2, 7–5 in the first round, and then overcomingMarie-Gaïané Mikaelian 7–5, 6–4 in the second. She was then defeated 6–1, 6–2 by second seedJustine Henin.
After her US Open success, Obata saw her best success to date in WTA tournaments as a singles player. She reached the semifinals of the Tier III tournament in Bali, defeating Ashley Harkleroad,Barbara Schett andAngelique Widjaja, before finally falling toChanda Rubin in straight sets. After losing in the first round of the Japan Open toJill Craybas, she then reached her only WTA singles final atTashkent Open. She achieved wins against Tatiana Poutchek,Zheng Jie,Jelena Kostanić Tošić andEmmanuelle Gagliardi. She faced Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final, but fell short 2–6, 6–7(2).
She ended her season at the Tier V tournament in Pattaya, winning two rounds before falling to SlovakianĽubomíra Kurhajcová, ensuring her highest-ever year-end ranking of 49.[4]
Following her most successful season to date, Obata entered Canberra again as her first tournament of 2004, but suffered a disappointing loss (3–6, 0–6) toZuzana Ondrášková.
However, she made another breakthrough at theAustralian Open, reaching the third round. After edging out Swiss playerMyriam Casanova in the opening round in three sets, she achieved the best ranking win of her career when she defeated Ai Sugiyama, in the second round, when ranked No. 55. This was her only win over a top-ten player as Sugiyama was ranked No. 9 at the time. She lost in straight sets in the third round toNathalie Dechy. As a result, her ranking reached its career high of 39, and she would be Japanese No. 2 behind Sugiyama.
She followed up her Australian Open success with a win at the Tier I Pan Pacific Open, overJulia Vakulenko, before exiting with a spirited performance againstVenus Williams in the second round. Shortly after this tournament, Obata achieved her career-high ranking of 39.
Obata struggled in the next few tournaments, never gaining more than one win over the next six tournaments before the French Open, including three first round losses. This included a 0–6, 0–6 loss to qualifierAna Ivanovic in the second round of the Fukuoka International. She then had another first-round exit at the French Open, losing in three sets toVera Dushevina.
After disappointment over the clay season, Obata recovered some form during the grass season. She won three matches at Birmingham, over Camerin,Kelly McCain andShenay Perry, before falling in the quarter final toPatty Schnyder. She followed this up with two qualifying wins at Eastbourne, before losing toElena Likhovtseva. She then got her first ever main draw win at Wimbledon, edging outEva Birnerová 7–5 in the final set. She lost 1–6, 4–6 in the second round to 12th seedVera Zvonareva.
After Wimbledon, Obata then experienced the least successful period of her career – not winning another match in 2004. She retired from her Fed Cup singles match againstDessislava Topalova of Bulgaria, then lost in first rounds at the remaining nine tournaments she played, including her first and only appearance representing Japan in the Olympics, where she was shocked byMaja Matevžič, who had been plagued by an elbow injury for most of the previous year. Matevzic subsequently lost 0–6, 0–6 to Venus Williams in the next round.
Obata's run of losses were:
This run meant Obata dropped to a year-end ranking outside the top 100, at 107.[5]
Following her disastrous end to 2004, Obata played qualifying in her usual Australian warm-up tournament in Canberra. She extended her losing streak to 12 in all competitions, losing in three sets toMaret Ani. Her streak then extended to 13 with a first-round loss in the Australian Open in straight sets toMariana Díaz Oliva.
Obata finally ended her losing run with a win over wild cardMiho Saeki at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, earning a second round meeting with top seedLindsay Davenport, where she put in a creditable performance in a 3–6, 4–6 loss.
Having seen her ranking drop yet further, Obata entered the $50k event at Saint Paul, Minnesota, winning more than one match in a tournament for the first time in nearly nine months. After defeatingTeryn Ashley,Simona Matei andSandra Klösel, she exited in the semifinal toLaura Granville. She then lost easily in first round of qualifying for Indian Wells to Shikha Uberoi, before deciding to drop back down to the ITF Circuit.
In the $50k tournament in Orange, California, she failed to qualify – losing toLenka Němečková 2–6, 0–6 in the final round. She then fell to a disappointing loss in the second round of the $25k event in Redding, California, falling in a final set tiebreak toJulie Ditty.
Despite her relatively poor results and subdued ranking, Obata hit a rich vein of form in two challenger in events inAugusta, Georgia, and Gifu. The $25k event in Augusta saw her win the title as sixth seed, without dropping a set. She defeated compatriotSeiko Okamoto in the first round 6–2, 6–4, then overcameIvana Lisjak 6–2, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, she eased pastVarvara Lepchenko 6–2, 6–2 and then won a closer match againstAnastasia Rodionova, winning out 7–6(5), 6–1. In the final, Obata overcame a youngVictoria Azarenka with ease, winning 6–2, 6–2.
In the $50k event in Gifu, Obata was seeded fourth and again won the title. In the first four rounds, she didn't drop a set – defeatingCasey Dellacqua 6–1, 6–1, then New Zealand qualifierMarina Erakovic 6–2, 6–4, before winning against fellow Japanese player Ayumi Morita 6–0, 6–4. Obata then reached her second successive final with a 6–4, 6–3 win over top seedAiko Nakamura. She dropped her only set of the week in the final against countrywomanShiho Hisamatsu, but won her second title in a row.
Despite her improved form, Obata lost in the first round of qualifying (as 23rd seed) on the clay of Roland Garros, defeated byMaria Fernanda Alves 4–6, 6–2, 6–3.
Going on to grass, Saori lost a tight opening round at the $25k event in Surbiton to South African qualifierSurina De Beer, losing in three sets. But she picked up a couple of wins to make the main draw of the Tier III event in Birmingham, beating wildcardKatie O'Brien in the first qualifying round, and then beatSofia Arvidsson in three sets to qualify. She then lost a tight three-set match toMaría Vento-Kabchi in the opening round, losing 5–7 in the final set. At Wimbledon, Obata beatHana Šromová,Jessica Kirkland and Eva Birnerová to reach the main draw, before losing to AmericanMarissa Irvin in round one.
With a ranking still too low to reach the main draw of the US Open, Obata went into the North American hard court swing needing wins to make it into the top 100. At the Tier I event at San Diego, she beatVarvara Lepchenko and Alexandra Stevenson to reach the main draw but lost a tough three-set match toGisela Dulko in the opening round. She then lost in the final round of qualifying of the Los Angeles Tier II event, but lost toKateryna Bondarenko. She made the main draw as a lucky loser, but lost to qualifierTathiana Garbin. In the final warm-up tournament before the US Open, she beatTatiana Panova in the first round of qualifying for the Tier I event in Toronto, but lost toLucie Šafářová in the final qualifying round. Obata then rounded off a disappointing North American swing with a loss in the first round of qualifying at the US Open to sixth seed Hana Šromová whom she had beaten two months previously at the same stage of Wimbledon.
Obata started the Asian swing with a disappointing loss in the second round of qualifying in the Tier II tournament in Beijing, before making it through three rounds of qualifying in Seoul. She then beatMaría Vento-Kabchi in the first round, before going out to eighth seedMarion Bartoli. She then received a wildcard into the Tier III Japan Open, and won her opening round againstMartina Suchá, before losing 1–6, 4–6 to third seed Tatiana Golovin. She moved on to the Tier III event in Bangkok, winning through qualifying with wins overCarly Gullickson, Natalie Grandin and top seedShenay Perry. She also won her opening round againstMashona Washington 6–2, 6–3, before falling to top seedNadia Petrova 3–6, 2–6. Obata then suffered a disappointing first-round loss as top seed toKim Jin-hee in the first round of the $50k event in Busan. Her final Asian event of the year was in Shenzhen for a $50k event, where she reached the semifinals, beating Sisi Qiu,Sun Shengnan andTomoko Yonemura before losing toTamarine Tanasugarn in straight sets. Her final event of the year, in December, was a first round loss in the $50k event in Palm Beach Gardens toAlisa Kleybanova.
After a mixed year, Obata ended the year ranked 108 – placing her on the cusp of automatic entry to the Australian Open.
Obata's ranking was enough to give her entry to the main draw of the Australian Open, and she started her year with her regular warm-up tournament inCanberra. As third seed in qualifying, she suffered a surprising loss toTatiana Poutchek, 4–6, 4–6 in the opening round. At the Australian Open, she lost a three set match to 17th seed toDaniela Hantuchová. This would prove to be her final Grand Slam match.
Saori entered qualifying for the Tier I event at thePan Pacific Open, where she'd had success before. She beat wildcardsAngelique Widjaja (6–2, 6–2) andBrenda Schultz-McCarthy (6–3, 7–5), before sealing qualification by beatingShiho Hisamatsu 6-2, 6–2. In the main draw, she easily defeatedKvěta Peschke 6–2, 6–1 in the opening round, before losing 4–6, 4–6 to fifth seed Nicole Vaidišová. This tournament meant she re-entered the top 100 rankings at 99. Obata then moved on to the Tier IV event in Pattaya where she lost in the first round of qualifying toHsieh Su-wei.
In March, Saori entered the $75k event in Las Vegas where, as sixth seed, she defeated Varvara Lepchenko in the opening round, before a 6–3, 6–2 over SwedeHanna Nooni. This would be her final win on tour, as she fell toAngela Haynes in the quarterfinal.
Obata's final tournament and match was at Indian Wells on 19 March, where she was drawn against qualifierCamille Pin and lost 2–6, 2–6.
In late May 2006, Obata confirmed she had retired from tennis due to a foot injury she had picked up at Indian Wells. She said her best memories from tennis were her first Wimbledon and being on the final at Tashkent.[6]
She won a doubles title at WTA-level (Memphis 2003, withAkiko Morigami), and fiveITF-level singles titles. Her finalGrand Slam appearance was at the 2006 Australian Open where she lost in the opening round, having qualified, toDaniela Hantuchová in three sets. She retired from professional tennis in June 2006 because of injury.
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Oct 2003 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard |  Virginia Ruano Pascual | 2–6, 6–7(2–7) |
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Feb 2003 | Memphis Cup, US | Hard (i) | Akiko Morigami | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Result | No. | Date | Location | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 7 April 1996 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Hard |  Choi Young-ja | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2. | 25 June 2000 | Mont-de-Marsan, France | Clay |  Edith Nunes | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3. | 13 May 2001 | Fukuoka International, Japan | Grass |  Alicia Molik | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 4. | 18 November 2001 | Port Pirie, Australia | Hard |  Pavlina Nola | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 5. | 25 November 2001 | Nuriootpa, Australia | Hard | Cho Yoon-jeong | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Loss | 6. | 23 July 2002 | Louisville, United States | Hard |  Alina Jidkova | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 7. | 5 May 2003 | Kangaroo Cup, Japan | Hard | Shinobu Asagoe | 4–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 8. | 11 May 2003 | Fukuoka International, Japan | Carpet |  Maria Elena Camerin | 2–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 9. | 3 April 2005 | Augusta, United States | Hard |  Victoria Azarenka | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 10. | 8 May 2005 | Kangaroo Cup, Japan | Carpet | Shiho Hisamatsu | 6–1, 2–6, 6–4 |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | 8 January 1996 | San Antonio, United States | Hard | Nami Urabe |  Pam Nelson Nóra Köves | 6–2, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 2. | 25 March 1996 | Bandung, Indonesia | Hard | Nami Urabe |  Chen JingjingLi Li | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 3. | 4 May 1997 | Kangaroo Cup, Japan | Grass | Kaoru Shibata | Shinobu AsagoeYasuko Nishimata | 6–3, 7–5 |
| Loss | 4. | 30 June 1997 | Mont-de-Marsan, France | Hard | Nami Urabe | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 5. | 10 October 1997 | Saga, Japan | Grass | Danielle Jones |  Surina De Beer Nami Urabe | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 6. | 16 March 1998 | Noda, Japan | Hard | Kyōko Nagatsuka | Keiko IshidaKeiko Nagatomi | 6–3, 2–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 7. | 8 June 1998 | Sochi, Russia | Hard | Kaoru Shibata |  Nino Louarsabishvili Elena Tatarkova | 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 8. | 14 May 2000 | Seoul, South Korea | Clay | Shinobu Asagoe | Li NaLi Ting | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 9. | 28 May 2000 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Hard | Cho Yoon-jeong | Li Na Li Ting | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 10. | 4 June 2000 | Shenzhen, China | Hard | Kim Eun-ha | Li Na Li Ting | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 11. | 26 May 2002 | Tallinn, Estonia | Clay | Akiko Morigami | Teryn AshleyKristen Schlukebir | 7–5, 7–6(2) |
| Win | 12. | 27 April 2003 | Kangaroo Cup, Japan | Hard | Rika Fujiwara | Shinobu AsagoeNana Smith | 1–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
| Loss | 13. | 6 May 2003 | Fukuoka International, Japan | Grass | Rika Fujiwara |  Līga Dekmeijere Nana Smith | 2–6, 6–2, 4–6 |
| Win | 14. | 9 May 2004 | Fukuoka International, Japan | Grass | Rika Fujiwara | Monique AdamczakNicole Kriz | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 15. | 3 April 2005 | Augusta, United States | Hard | Rika Fujiwara | Anastasia RodionovaTatiana Poutchek | 6–7(3), 0–6 |
| Win | 16. | 8 May 2005 | Kangaroo Cup, Japan | Carpet | Rika Fujiwara | Ryōko FudaSeiko Okamoto | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 17. | 31 May 2005 | Surbiton Trophy, England | Grass | Rika Fujiwara | Jennifer HopkinsMashona Washington | 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
