Ai Sugiyama
Ai Sugiyama (杉山愛, Sugiyama Ai, born July 5, 1975) is a Japanese former tennis player. She reached the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles on the WTA Tour and had a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. In her career, she won six singles and 38 doubles titles, including three Grand Slam titles (one with Julie Halard-Decugis and two partnering Kim Clijsters), and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title (partnering Mahesh Bhupathi). Sugiyama held the all-time record, for both male and female players, for her 62 consecutive Grand Slam main-draw appearances, until she was surpassed by Roger Federer at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships.[1]
| Country (sports) | Japan |
|---|---|
| Residence | Kanagawa |
| Born | July 5, 1975 Yokohama, Japan |
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Turned pro | October 1992 |
| Retired | October 2009 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $8,128,126 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 492–419 (54.0%) |
| Career titles | 6 WTA, 1 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (February 9, 2004) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2000) |
| French Open | 4R (1995, 2000, 2003) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2004) |
| US Open | 4R (2003, 2004) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | RR (2003) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2004) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 566–295 (65.7%) |
| Career titles | 38 WTA, 4 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (October 23, 2000) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2009) |
| French Open | W (2003) |
| Wimbledon | W (2003) |
| US Open | W (2000) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (2003, 2007) |
| Olympic Games | SF – 4th (2004) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 35–21 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1999, 2001, 2003, 2006) |
| French Open | SF (2000) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2004) |
| US Open | W (1999) |
Career edit
1990s edit
In 1993, at age 17, Sugiyama played tennis legend Martina Navratilova in her native city, losing in three sets. The same year, she made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon but lost in the first round to world No. 30, Gigi Fernández, in three sets. In 1994, Sugiyama again reached the main draw at Wimbledon but lost to world No. 6 and compatriot, Kimiko Date. Later that year, she reached her first singles final in Surabaya but was forced to retire against Elena Wagner. She went on to win the Japan Open doubles, her first tour title. Later that year, she broke into the WTA top 100. In 1995, she won her first Grand Slam match and reached the fourth round of Roland Garros. In the first round, the Japanese player defeated 15th-seeded Grand Slam runner-up and former top-5 player Helena Suková by 9–7 in the final set, her first victory over a top-20 player. Two months after, she defeated Amanda Coetzer to reach the third round, while losing to world No. 4 and former Wimbledon champion, Conchita Martínez. In November, she made an impressive run at the Oakland Tier-II tournament. While she was only ranked 63, she defeated 22nd-ranked Irina Spîrlea, former Wimbledon runner-up Zina Garrison Jackson, and No. 10, Lindsay Davenport to reach the second final of her career, where she lost to No. 7, Magdalena Maleeva. After this run, Sugiyama broke into the top 50.
In 1996, she reached the third round at the Australian Open. In Miami, seeded 23rd, Sugiyama reached the fourth round, defeating No. 10, Jana Novotná, her second top-10 victory. That moved her into the top 30. She also reached the semifinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo and the fourth round at Wimbledon, where she defeated No. 5, Anke Huber, her third top-10 and first top-5 victory. She represented Japan and reached the third round at the Atlanta Olympics defeating Martina Hingis.
Sugiyama began 1997 season by playing her third final losing to Elena Likhovtseva, after defeating Sabine Appelmans in the quarterfinals. The following week she reached the second round at the Australian Open. In April, she won her first professional title at the Japan Open against Amy Frazier. However, she could not reach a good result in Grand Slam events, with a second-round exit at the French Open and US Open and a first round loss at Wimbledon. At the end of the year, she reached her first Tier-I final at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, defeating Natasha Zvereva, No. 14 Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, No. 9 and multi-Grand Slam events winner Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, and Dominique Van Roost before failing in the final against top seed and second-ranked Jana Novotná.
In 1998, she opened with a second singles title in Gold Coast. Then she broke into the top 20 and reached another semifinal in Sydney, defeating Conchita Martínez. Throughout that year, Sugiyama showed consistency: a third WTA Tour title at the Japan Open, quarterfinals in Tokyo (Pan Pacific), Berlin, defeating No. 4, Amanda Coetzer, playing Strasbourg and San Diego, defeating Steffi Graf, Luxembourg, third round in Indian Wells, Miami and Montreal and second round at both French and US Open. In 1999, she reached the final of the Japan Open, the semifinals in Gold Coast and Tokyo (Princess Cup) defeating No. 8, Julie Halard-Decugis, the quarterfinals in Strasbourg and Moscow, defeating No. 6, Mary Pierce, third in Indian Wells, Montreal, defeating No. 7, Jana Novotná, and at the US Open. She also reached the second round at the French Open and Wimbledon. The same year, Sugiyama won the US Open mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi, her first Grand Slam title.
Sugiyama received the WTA Sportsmanship Award in 1999.
2000–2005 edit
On July 10, Sugiyama reached the final of the women's doubles at Wimbledon, partnered by Halard-Decugis, but lost in straight sets to the Williams sisters after a one-day rain delay. On September 10, she won the women's doubles at the US Open, defeating Cara Black and Elena Likhovtseva in three sets, in one hour and 19 minutes. On October 23, she became the first Japanese woman to rank No. 1 in the world in doubles, winning seven titles in the process.
Her greatest success was Scottsdale 2003. Beating Lindsay Davenport in the second round, she went on to defeat Eleni Daniilidou to progress to the semifinals. Scheduling problems forced both the semifinals and finals matches - for both singles and doubles - to be played on the Sunday of the tournament. Thus in a single day, Sugiyama managed to save a matchpoint in the semifinals against Alexandra Stevenson, rally from a set down to defeat doubles partner Kim Clijsters in the final, and then secure victories in both doubles matches to raise both trophies. The year 2003 proved to be her best year ever, pushing Serena Williams to the limit at Roland Garros and reaching the round of 16 in Wimbledon and US Open where her fourth round loss to Francesca Schiavone at Flushing Meadows was rather controversial. She finished the year ranked tenth, having defeated world No. 1, Justine Henin, in the round robin section of the season-ending championships. She also won a total of eight doubles titles that year, seven with Kim Clijsters (Sydney, Antwerp, Scottsdale, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, San Diego, Zurich) and one with Liezel Huber (Linz).
Sugiyama began 2005 with four consecutive first-round losses. She lost in the first rounds of the first three Grand Slams; only at San Diego did she really do well, making it to the final, which she lost in straight sets to Mary Pierce, having defeated Daniela Hantuchová, Sesil Karantacheva and Svetlana Kuznetsova en route. Sugiyama also reached the final in doubles with Hantuchová, losing to Virginia Ruano-Pascual and Conchita Martínez. She broke her Grand Slam "curse", reaching the third round before losing to Clijsters, the eventual champion.
That year, Ai had better results in doubles than in singles. Partnering with Elena Dementieva, she reached the finals of her first tournament, Sydney, losing to Bryanne Stewart and Samantha Stosur. They reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open. She entered a few tournaments with Anastasia Myskina and Elena Likhovtseva, but with poor results. In Berlin, she played again with Daniela Hantuchová, reaching the semifinal, losing to Black and Huber. At the French, they lost to Birnerová and Vanc in the second round. They won their next tournament, in Birmingham over Daniilidou and Russel. At Wimbledon, Hantuchová and Sugiyama reached the quarterfinal, losing to eventual champions Black and Huber. At the Canadian Open in Toronto, they lost the semifinal to eventual champions Grönefeld and Navratilova. At the US Open, they reached the third round, losing to Yan Zi and Zheng Jie. She tried three partners in the next tournaments, before returning to Daniela in Zurich, where they reached the finals (beating top seeds Lisa Raymond and Stosur en route), losing a close three-set match to Black and Rennae Stubbs. They finished the year ranked No. 5, failing to qualify for the year-end championships.
Sugiyama played mixed doubles at two events: the French & the US Open. At Roland Garros, playing with Mirnyi, she lost in the first round. At the US Open, she partnered with Ullyett. The duo reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champions Hantuchová and Bhupathi. Entering the Doha with an 0–5 singles record, she managed to beat wildcard Selima Sfar. In the second round, she upset Myskina in three sets, needing several match points to close the match out. In her quarterfinal match against Julia Schruff, she had a comfortable win. She lost in the semifinal, in an epic match against Nadia Petrova. At 0–4 in the second, she won five consecutive games to 5–4. She won the doubles title with Hantuchová, defeating Yan and Zheng in the semifinal and Li Ting and Sun Tiantian in the final.
2006 edit
In Rome, she and Hantuchová won the title, their third as a team and biggest title, beating Li and Sun; Black and Stubbs (No. 2), and Květa Peschke and Schiavone (No. 8).
At the French Open, 22nd seeded Ai beat Daniilidou in the first round, but lost to French qualifier Aravane Rezaï in the second. Deciding not to compete in the mixed, Ai and Daniella beat Caroline Dhenin and Mathilde Johansson , then squashed Sofia Arvidsson and Martina Müller; they escaped in three sets against Marion Bartoli and Shahar Pe'er. In the quarterfinals, they beat second-seeded Black and Stubbs. In the semifinals, they beat fourth-seeded Yan and Zheng but lost in two sets in the final to top-seeded Raymond and Stosur.
Wimbledon saw Sugiyama, the 18th seed, defeat 12th seed Martina Hingis in three sets to advance to the fourth round. The summer brought several bad singles losses, as well as doubles upsets. Sugiyama reached the final in Los Angeles, bowing to Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez. In Montréal, she beat Aleksandra Wozniak and Anabel Medina Garrigues before losing to Kuznetsova. In doubles, partnering with Nathalie Dechy, they reached the quarterfinals.
At the US Open seeded 28th, she defeated Zuzana Ondrášková, and Tathiana Garbin before falling to second seed Justine Henin. In Beijing, she beat qualifier Alicia Molik, who was also her doubles partner in the event, in the first round. She then upset fourth-seeded Nicole Vaidišová in three sets before losing to Peng Shuai in another three-set match. She reached the final of a Tier-IV event in Seoul, losing to Eleni Daniilidou of Greece in a three-set final.
2007 edit
The beginning of 2007 was better than the prior two years. She lost to Anastasiya Yakimova in the second round of the Australian Open (10–8 in the third), before beating her in Miami. Sugiyama and Daniela Hantuchová reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champions Black and Huber. In Tokyo, she reached the quarterfinals, losing in three sets to No. 1, Maria Sharapova. In Doha, she injured her toe, but recovered to reach the round of 16 in Indian Wells. In Miami, she fell to Dinara Safina in the third. She went 0–3 in Fed Cup play versus France, losing to both Tatiana Golovin and Dechy, but rebounded to win 50k Gifu with Ayumi Morita. The Japanese duo lost only one set en route to the title. She played in Berlin with Katarina Srebotnik. They swept Lourdes Domínguez Lino and Flavia Pennetta in a double bagel, but then fell to the second seeded Black and Huber the same day.
Her next tournament was Rome, where she beat Maria Kirilenko in a 2 hours 49 minutes three-set match. She lost to Pe'er in the next round. At Roland Garros, she reached the third round. She defeated Eva Birnerová in the first round and Meilen Tu in the second round, but then fell to Anna Chakvetadze, the 9th seed. In doubles, seeded seventh with Srebotnik, she defeated Lucie Hradecká and Renata Voráčová in the first round, Stéphanie Foretz and Camille Pin, and Pe'er and Safina in the second and third round. They then defeated Maria Elena Camerin and Gisela Dulko in the quarterfinals. They upset top seeds and defending champions Raymond and Stosur in the semifinals, winning in three sets to reach the French Open finals. They lost in the final in straight sets to Alicia Molik and Mara Santangelo.
At Wimbledon, seeded 26th, she beat wildcard Melanie South and Alizé Cornet. She lost against the second seeded Sharapova in the third round. In doubles, she and Srebotnik beat Andreea Ehritt-Vanc and Anastasia Rodionova; Émilie Loit and Nicole Pratt, and got a walkover from Bartoli and Meilen Tu in the third round. In the quarterfinals, they beat Elena Likhovtseva and Sun Tiantian. They came back from 1–6, 0–3 to beat top-seeded Raymond and Stosur, winning in three sets. They lost in the final to the second seeded Black and Huber.
During the US Open Series, she reached the third round of San Diego, where she defeated Sybille Bammer. She then lost to Chakvetadze. She reached two doubles semifinals in San Diego and Stanford with Srebotnik, losing both times to Victoria Azarenka and Chakvetadze. However, they won Toronto, defeating Peng Shuai and Yan in the quarterfinal, Molik and Santangelo, in the semifinal and Black and Huber in the final, winning their first title as a te.
At the US Open, Sugiyama lost in the second round to Ekaterina Makarova. Ai and Srebotnik impressively defeated Sun Shengnan and Ji Chunmei, and eventually defeated Michaëlla Krajicek and Agnieszka Radwańska. The team advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Loit and Vania King, but lost to eventual champions Dechy and Safina. Srebotnik and Sugiyama continued their form and thus qualified for the Tour Championships, which were held in Madrid. The team, seeded second, defeated the Taiwanese duo of Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung, but lost to Black and Huber in the final in a super tiebreak.[2]
2008 edit
In singles, Sugiyama's season started out badly, as she lost to Azarenka in Gold Coast and Gajdosova in Sydney. However, in Melbourne, her form returned, beating Vera Zvonareva in the first round and Tatiana Perebiynis in the second round, before losing to 12th seed Vaidišová. In doubles, she and Srebotnik lost in straight sets in Sydney to Yan/Zheng, the eventual champions. In Melbourne, they drew the Williams sisters in the second round and lost in two sets. Sugiyama's dream of a career slam died. In doubles, she reached the final in Antwerp with Peschke, as well as the semifinals in Doha and Dubai with Srebotnik.
On March 30 in the third round at the Tier-I event in Miami, she upset eighth seeded Hantuchová in an epic three-set match. She came back after losing a match point in the second set, as well as having served for the match twice in the second set. In the third set, she was down three to none, but still managed to win. It was her first top ten win since Beijing 2006. In the next round, she lost to Zvonareva. In doubles, she and Srebotnik won the title, beating Akiko Morigami and Alina Jidkova, Lucie Hradecká and Renata Voráčová, and Davenport and Hantuchová. They earned the title by beating Australian runners-up Azarenka and Pe'er and No.-1 team Black and Huber. It was their second team title, and Sugiyama's eighth Tier-I title.
Sugiyama won her ninth Tier I doubles title with Srebotnik at Charleston at the Family Circle cup, their third team title, scoring a two-sets win over Edina Gallovits-Hall and Olga Govortsova. Sugiyama broke the record for consecutive slam appearances woman with 57 as of her appearance in the 2008 Wimbledon tournament. Sugiyama made it to the third round of ladies' singles, losing to Alisa Kleybanova of Russia. At Stanford, she defeated Alexa Glatch and then beat world No. 11, Hantuchová. In the quarterfinals she beat Dominika Cibulková, saving three match points in the process. Sugiyama and Ayumi Morita represented their nation at the Summer Olympics, losing in the second round to the Williams.
2009 edit
Ai started with a first-round loss to Stosur, and in the women's doubles a semifinal finish losing to Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska in the Brisbane International partnering Hantuchová. In the Sydney International, Sugiyama made the semifinals eventually losing to Safina.
In the 2009 Australian Open, she made the third round losing to Jelena Janković. As the ninth seed in doubles playing with Hantuchová, they beat the No. 1 seeds, Black and Huber. In the third set "Hantuyama" were down 2–5, but rallied to take it to a tie-break, where they saved seven match points to win 12–10. In the semifinals, they beat Dechy and Santangelo to make it her first women's doubles final there. They were defeated by the Williams in two sets. A respiratory infection forced her to withdraw from the 2009 Open GDF Suez. Sugiyama entered the Dubai Tennis Championships and lost in the opening round to Bartoli in a tight three-set match. Sugiyama and Hantuchová also played doubles but withdrew because of the infection.
At the Indian Wells Open, Sugiyama and Hantuchová were seeded fifth in the women's doubles but lost to the pair Alla Kudryavtseva and Rodionova in the first round. In singles, she lost to qualifier Angela Haynes in the second round. At the Sony Ericsson open she lost her opening matches in singles and doubles, being beaten in the second round in singles after receiving a bye. Her loss in the doubles event with Hantuchová dropped her doubles ranking to No. 5. Sugiyama lost four consecutive singles matches in Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, and Madrid. However alongside Hantuchová, Sugiyama made the finals at the Rome Masters where they lost to the No. 7 seeds, Hsieh Su-wei and Peng. They reached the quarterfinals at the Madrid Masters where they lost to Stosur and Stubbs, whom she and Akgul Amanmuradova beat in the finals at Eastbourne, her 38th doubles title.
On June 22, she extended her record of consecutive Grand Slam appearances to 61 at Wimbledon, defeating the seeded Patty Schnyder in straight sets to break her eleven match losing streak. She lost in the third round to Hantuchová. In Stanford she lost to Sharapova in three sets, saving two match points in the second set. She then lost in the second round in Los Angeles to Radwańska. Sugiyama retired at the end of the 2009 tennis season after the Pan Pacific Open, held in her native country, Japan. A special ceremony for her was held at center court before the tournament. Ai planned a few months at home before concentrating on teaching youngsters at her tennis academy in Japan.[3]
Major finals edit
Grand Slam tournaments edit
Women's doubles: 10 (3 titles, 7 runner-ups) edit
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2000 | Wimbledon | Grass | Julie Halard | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 2000 | US Open | Hard | Julie Halard | Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva | 6–0, 1–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 2001 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Kim Clijsters | Lisa Raymond Rennae Stubbs | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 2003 | French Open | Clay | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 9–7 |
| Win | 2003 | Wimbledon | Grass | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2004 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Liezel Huber | Cara Black Rennae Stubbs | 3–6, 6–7(5–7) |
| Loss | 2006 | French Open | Clay | Daniela Hantuchová | Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 2007 | French Open (2) | Clay | Katarina Srebotnik | Alicia Molik Mara Santangelo | 6–7(5–7), 4–6 |
| Loss | 2007 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 2009 | Australian Open | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 3–6, 3–6 |
Mixed doubles edit
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1999 | US Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Kimberly Po Donald Johnson | 6–4, 6–4 |
Olympic Games edit
Doubles: 1 bronze final edit
| Result | Year | Location | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th place | 2004 | Athens | Hard | Shinobu Asagoe | Paola Suárez Patricia Tarabini | 3–6, 3–6 |
Year-end championships edit
Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups) edit
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2003 | Los Angeles | Hard (i) | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2007 | Madrid | Hard (i) | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 7–5, 3–6, [8–10] |
WTA career finals edit
Singles: 13 (6 titles, 7 runner-ups) edit
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | Jul 1994 | Surabaya Classic, Indonesia | Hard | Elena Wagner | 6–2, 0–6, ret. |
| Loss | 2. | Nov 1995 | Silicon Valley Classic, United States | Carpet (i) | Magdalena Maleeva | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3. | Jan 1997 | Gold Coast Championships, Australia | Hard | Elena Likhovtseva | 6–3, 6–7(7–9), 3–6 |
| Win | 1. | Apr 1997 | Japan Open | Hard | Amy Frazier | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 4. | Nov 1997 | Kremlin Cup, Russia | Carpet (i) | Jana Novotná | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2. | Jan 1998 | Gold Coast Championships, Australia | Hard | María Vento-Kabchi | 7–5, 6–0 |
| Win | 3. | Apr 1998 | Japan Open | Hard | Corina Morariu | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 5. | Oct 1999 | Japan Open | Hard | Amy Frazier | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 4. | Mar 2003 | Scottsdale Classic, U.S. | Hard | Kim Clijsters | 3–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 5. | Oct 2003 | Linz Open, Austria | Hard | Nadia Petrova | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 6. | Jan 2004 | Gold Coast Championships, Australia | Hard | Nadia Petrova | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 6. | Aug 2005 | Carlsbad Open, U.S. | Hard | Mary Pierce | 0–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 7. | Oct 2006 | Korea Open | Hard | Eleni Daniilidou | 3–6, 6–2, 6–7(3–7) |
Doubles: 71 (38 titles, 33 runner-ups) edit
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | Apr 1994 | Japan Open | Hard | Mami Donoshiro | Yayuk Basuki Nana Miyagi | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1. | Nov 1994 | Surabaya Classic, Indonesia | Hard | Kyōko Nagatsuka | Yayuk Basuki Romana Tedjakusuma | w/o |
| Win | 2. | Jan 1995 | Hobart International, Australia | Hard | Kyōko Nagatsuka | Manon Bollegraf Larisa Neiland | 2–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2. | Apr 1995 | Japan Open | Hard | Kyōko Nagatsuka | Yuka Yoshida Miho Saeki | 7–6, 4–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 3. | Apr 1996 | Japan Open | Hard | Kimiko Date | Amy Frazier Kimberly Po | 7–6, 6–7, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3. | May 1997 | Internationaux de Strasbourg, France | Clay | Elena Likhovtseva | Helena Suková Natasha Zvereva | 1–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 4. | Sep 1997 | Princess Cup, Japan | Hard | Monica Seles | Julie Halard-Decugis Chanda Rubin | 6–1, 6–0 |
| Win | 5. | Jan 1998 | Hard Court Championships, Australia | Hard | Elena Likhovtseva | Park Sung-hee Wang Shi-ting | 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 6. | Oct 1998 | Luxembourg Open | Carpet (i) | Elena Likhovtseva | Larisa Neiland Elena Tatarkova | 6–7, 6–3, 2–0 ret. |
| Win | 7. | Nov 1998 | Leipzig Cup, Germany | Carpet (i) | Elena Likhovtseva | Manon Bollegraf Irina Spîrlea | 6–3, 6–7, 6–2 |
| Win | 8. | Nov 1998 | Philadelphia Championships, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Elena Likhovtseva | Monica Seles Natasha Zvereva | 7–5, 4–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 9. | Jan 1999 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | Elena Likhovtseva | Mary Joe Fernández Anke Huber | 6–3, 2–6, 6–0 |
| Loss | 4. | Feb 1999 | Paris Indoors, France | Carpet (i) | Elena Likhovtseva | Irina Spîrlea Caroline Vis | 5–7, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Win | 10. | May 1999 | Internationaux de Strasbourg, France | Clay | Elena Likhovtseva | Alexandra Fusai Nathalie Tauziat | 2–6, 7–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 5. | Nov 1999 | Leipzig Cup, Germany | Carpet (i) | Elena Likhovtseva | Larisa Neiland Mary Pierce | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 11. | Jan 2000 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | Julie Halard-Decugis | Martina Hingis Mary Pierce | 6–0, 6–3 |
| Win | 12. | Apr 2000 | Miami Open, United States | Hard | Julie Halard-Decugis | Nicole Arendt Manon Bollegraf | 4–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 13. | Jun 2000 | Eastbourne International, UK | Grass | Nathalie Tauziat | Lisa Raymond Rennae Stubbs | 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(3) |
| Loss | 6. | Jul 2000 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | Julie Halard-Decugis | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 7. | Aug 2000 | Canadian Open | Hard | Julie Halard-Decugis | Martina Hingis Nathalie Tauziat | 3–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
| Win | 14. | Aug 2000 | New Haven Open, U.S. | Hard | Julie Halard-Decugis | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 |
| Win | 15. | Sep 2000 | US Open | Hard | Julie Halard-Decugis | Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva | 6–0, 1–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 16. | Oct 2000 | Princess Cup, Japan | Hard | Julie Halard-Decugis | Nana Miyagi Paola Suárez | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Loss | 8. | Oct 2000 | Linz Open, Austria | Carpet (i) | Nathalie Tauziat | Amélie Mauresmo Chanda Rubin | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 17. | Oct 2000 | Kremlin Cup, Russia | Carpet (i) | Julie Halard-Decugis | Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova | 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(5) |
| Win | 18. | Jan 2001 | Canberra International, Australia | Hard | Nicole Arendt | Esmé de Villiers Annabel Ellwood | 6–4, 7–6(2) |
| Win | 19. | Mar 2001 | Indian Wells Masters, U.S. | Hard | Nicole Arendt | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 9. | Jul 2001 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | Kim Clijsters | Lisa Raymond Rennae Stubbs | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 10. | Sep 2001 | Princess Cup, Japan | Hard | Kim Clijsters | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 20. | Feb 2002 | U.S. National Indoors | Hard | Elena Tatarkova | Melissa Middleton Brie Rippner | 6–4, 2–6, 6–0 |
| Loss | 11. | Aug 2002 | San Diego Open, U.S. | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Elena Dementieva Janette Husárová | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 12. | Aug 2002 | LA Championships, U.S. | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Kim Clijsters Jelena Dokić | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 13. | Aug 2002 | Canadian Open | Hard | Rika Fujiwara | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 4–6, 6–7(4) |
| Loss | 14. | Sep 2002 | China Open | Hard | Rika Fujiwara | Anna Kournikova Janet Lee | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Loss | 15. | Oct 2002 | Linz Open, Austria | Carpet (i) | Rika Fujiwara | Jelena Dokić Nadia Petrova | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 21. | Jan 2003 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | Kim Clijsters | Conchita Martínez Rennae Stubbs | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 22. | Feb 2003 | Antwerp Games, Belgium | Carpet (i) | Kim Clijsters | Nathalie Dechy Émilie Loit | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Win | 23. | Mar 2003 | Scottsdale Classic, U.S. | Hard | Kim Clijsters | Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 16. | Mar 2003 | Indian Wells Open, U.S. | Hard | Kim Clijsters | Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond | 6–3, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 17. | May 2003 | German Open | Clay | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 3–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Win | 24. | Jun 2003 | French Open | Clay | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–7(5), 6–2, 9–7 |
| Win | 25. | Jul 2003 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 26. | Aug 2003 | San Diego Open, U.S. | Hard | Kim Clijsters | Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 18. | Sep 2003 | China Open | Hard | Tamarine Tanasugarn | Émilie Loit Nicole Pratt | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 27. | Oct 2003 | Zurich Open, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 7–6(3), 6–2 |
| Win | 28. | Oct 2003 | Linz Open, Austria | Hard (i) | Liezel Huber | Marion Bartoli Silvia Farina Elia | 6–1, 7–6(6) |
| Loss | 19. | Nov 2003 | WTA Finals, New York | Hard | Kim Clijsters | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Loss | 20. | Jul 2004 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | Liezel Huber | Cara Black Rennae Stubbs | 3–6, 6–7(5) |
| Win | 29. | Aug 2004 | Canadian Open | Hard | Shinobu Asagoe | Liezel Huber Tamarine Tanasugarn | 6–0, 6–3 |
| Win | 30. | Sep 2004 | Bali Classic, Indonesia | Hard | Anastasia Myskina | Svetlana Kuznetsova Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6–3, 7–5 |
| Loss | 21. | Jan 2005 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | Elena Dementieva | Bryanne Stewart Samantha Stosur | w/o |
| Win | 31. | Jun 2005 | Birmingham Classic, UK | Grass | Daniela Hantuchová | Eleni Daniilidou Jennifer Russell | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Loss | 22. | Aug 2005 | San Diego Open, U.S. | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Conchita Martínez Virginia Ruano Pascual | 7–6(7), 1–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 23. | Oct 2005 | Zurich Open, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Daniela Hantuchová | Cara Black Rennae Stubbs | 7–6(6), 6–7(4), 3–6 |
| Win | 32. | Mar 2006 | Qatar Open | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Li Ting Sun Tiantian | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 33. | May 2006 | Italian Open | Clay | Daniela Hantuchová | Květa Peschke Francesca Schiavone | 3–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
| Loss | 24. | Jun 2006 | French Open | Clay | Daniela Hantuchová | Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 25. | Aug 2006 | LA Championships, U.S. | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 26. | May 2007 | French Open | Clay | Katarina Srebotnik | Alicia Molik Mara Santangelo | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 27. | Jun 2007 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 34. | Aug 2007 | Canadian Open | Hard | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 6–4, 2–6, [10–5] |
| Loss | 28. | Oct 2007 | Linz Open, Austria | Hard | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 2–6, 6–3, [8–10] |
| Loss | 29. | Nov 2007 | WTA Tour Championships, Madrid | Hard | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 7–5, 3–6, [8–10] |
| Loss | 30. | Feb 2008 | Antwerp Games, Belgium | Hard (i) | Květa Peschke | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 35. | Apr 2008 | Miami Open, U.S. | Hard | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 7–5, 4–6, [10–3] |
| Win | 36. | Apr 2008 | Charleston Open, U.S. | Clay | Katarina Srebotnik | Edina Gallovits Olga Govortsova | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 37. | Oct 2008 | Linz Open, Austria | Hard (i) | Katarina Srebotnik | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 31. | Jan 2009 | Australian Open | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 32. | May 2009 | Italian Open | Clay | Daniela Hantuchová | Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai | 5–7, 6–7(5) |
| Win | 38. | Jun 2009 | Eastbourne International, UK | Grass | Akgul Amanmuradova | Samantha Stosur Rennae Stubbs | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 33. | Oct 2009 | Pan Pacific Open, Japan | Hard (i) | Daniela Hantuchová | Alisa Kleybanova Francesca Schiavone | 4–6, 2–6 |
ITF finals edit
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
Singles (1–2) edit
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | 19 July 1992 | ITF Evansville, United States | Hard | Iva Majoli | 3-6, 1-6 |
| Win | 2. | 20 July 1992 | ITF Roanoke, United States | Hard | Tatiana Ignatieva | 6–2, 3–2 ret. |
| Loss | 3. | 19 July 1993 | ITF St. Simons, United States | Clay | Hiromi Nagano | 1–6, 1–6 |
Doubles (4–1) edit
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 10 February 1992 | ITF Bangkok, Thailand | Hard | Mami Donoshiro | Huang Qian Yang Li-hua | 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2. | 17 February 1992 | ITF Bandung, Indonesia | Hard | Mami Donoshiro | Chen Li-Ling Yi Jing-Qian | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 3. | 26 June 1993 | ITF Roanoke, United States | Hard | Yoshiko Sasano | Mareze Joubert Vanessa Webb | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 4. | 21 August 1994 | ITF Fayetteville, United States | Hard | Yuka Yoshida | Andrea Leand Eleni Rossides | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Win | 5. | 6 May 2007 | ITF Gifu, Japan | Carpet | Ayumi Morita | Kumiko Iijima Seiko Okamoto | 6–1, 3–6, 6–0 |
Grand Slam performance timelines edit
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Singles edit
| Tournament | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | Q3 | Q1 | 1R | 3R | 2R | 4R | 1R | QF | 1R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 19–15 |
| French Open | A | Q1 | A | 4R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 18–15 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 4R | QF | 1R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 25–17 |
| US Open | Q1 | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 22–16 |
| Premier Mandatory tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | Not Tier I | 3R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 4R | A | A | 4R | 4R | 3R | 2R | 19–12 | |||
| Miami | A | A | 1R | 1R | 4R | 3R | 3R | A | 3R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | QF | 3R | 4R | 2R | 18–16 |
| Madrid | Not Held | 1R | 0–1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Beijing | Not Held | Not Tier I | A | 0–0 | |||||||||||||||
| Premier 5 tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dubai | Not Held | Not Tier I | 1R | 0–1 | |||||||||||||||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | SF | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 11–13 |
| Cincinnati | Not Held | Not Tier I | 1R | 0–1 | |||||||||||||||
| Toronto/Montréal | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | 3R | 2R | 3R | 1R | QF | 2R | 15–12 |
| Tokyo | NH | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | 2R | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | 20–18 |
| Former Tier I tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Moscow | NH | Not Tier I | F | 1R | QF | 2R | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | NM5 | 7–5 | |||
| Charleston | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | 1R | 2R | A | A | 3R | A | A | 2R | 5–6 | |
| Zürich | NT1 | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | Q3 | NTI | Not Held | 20–17 |
| San Diego | Not Tier I | QF | F | 1R | 3R | NTI | 9–4 | ||||||||||||
| Doha | Not Held | Not Tier I | 3R | 2–1 | |||||||||||||||
| Berlin | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 5–10 | |
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tournaments played | 4 | 8 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 376 |
| Finals reached | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Tournaments won | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Overall win–loss | 1–4 | 3–8 | 9–11 | 14–17 | 24–21 | 32–28 | 37–21 | 29–24 | 22–26 | 28–25 | 37–27 | 48–26 | 33–25 | 31–27 | 30–25 | 22–25 | 27–26 | 9–22 | 436–388 |
| Year-end ranking | 180 | 142 | 72 | 46 | 32 | 20 | 18 | 24 | 33 | 30 | 24 | 10 | 17 | 30 | 26 | 38 | 31 | N/A | N/A |
Doubles edit
| Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | QF | SF | 3R | QF | SF | 3R | 3R | QF | 2R | F | 0 / 16 | 35–16 |
| French Open | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | QF | SF | 3R | SF | W | 1R | 2R | F | F | 2R | 3R | 1 / 15 | 38–14 |
| Wimbledon | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | F | F | 3R | W | F | QF | 1R | F | 2R | 2R | 1 / 14 | 36–15 |
| US Open | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | – | 1R | W | A | 1R | 2R | SF | 3R | 2R | QF | SF | 3R | 1 / 11 | 27–13 |
| Year-end championships | |||||||||||||||||||
| WTA Finals | A | A | A | A | A | QF | QF | QF | A | SF | F | A | A | A | F | SF | A | 0 / 7 | 3–7 |
| Premier Mandatory tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | Not Tier I | 2R | QF | QF | 2R | W | 2R | F | A | A | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | 1 / 11 | 21–10 | |||
| Miami | A | A | QF | 2R | 1R | QF | A | W | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | W | 1R | 2 / 14 | 20–12 |
| Madrid | Not Held | QF | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | |||||||||||||||
| Beijing | Not Held | Not Tier I | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | ||||||||||||||
| Premier 5 tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dubai | Not Held | Not Tier I | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | ||||||||||||||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | QF | A | 2R | QF | W | 2R | 2R | F | 1 / 12 | 14–11 |
| Cincinnati | Not Held | Not Tier I | QF | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | ||||||||||||||
| Toronto/Montréal | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | QF | F | QF | F | A | W | SF | QF | W | QF | SF | 2 / 12 | 28–10 |
| Tokyo | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | SF | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | SF | QF | SF | QF | 1R | 1R | F | 0 / 17 | 15–16 |
| Former Tier I tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Moscow | Not Tier I | SF | 1R | SF | W | A | A | A | SF | A | A | A | A | NM5 | 0 / 5 | 10–4 | |||
| Charleston | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 2R | A | A | W | 1 / 5 | 5–4 | |
| Zürich | A | A | A | A | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | A | 1R | W | A | SF | QF | SF | NTI | Not Held | 1 / 9 | 11–8 |
| San Diego | Not Tier I | 1R | F | QF | SF | NTI | 0 / 4 | 7–4 | |||||||||||
| Doha | Not Held | Not Tier I | SF | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | ||||||||||||||
| Berlin | A | A | A | 2R | QF | 2R | QF | A | A | F | A | SF | QF | QF | A | A | 0 / 8 | 13–8 | |
| Philadelphia | A | A | 1R | Tier II | not held | T II | not held | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | ||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tournaments played | 11 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 17 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 333 | |
| Finals reached | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 | |
| Tournaments won | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 38 | |
| Overall win–loss | 8–10 | 16–9 | 18–15 | 11–12 | 23–22 | 38–18 | 31–21 | 59–17 | 35–15 | 40–24 | 59–12 | 36–16 | 35–20 | 37–18 | 38–19 | 40–17 | 29–15 | 566–295 | |
| Year-end ranking | 208 | 53 | 45 | 77 | 25 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 6 | – | No. 1 | |
Mixed doubles edit
WTA Tour career earnings edit
| Year | Grand Slam singles titles | WTA singles titles | Total singles titles | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–94 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1997 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1998 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 595,062[permanent dead link] | 25[permanent dead link] |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 691,897[permanent dead link] | 21[permanent dead link] |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 757,201[permanent dead link] | 18[permanent dead link] |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 0 | 6 | 6 |
References edit
- ^ . Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ^ Women's Tennis Association (November 11, 2007). . Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Emotional Day 1 in Tokyo September 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Sony Ericsson WTA Tour official website, posted September 27, 2009
External links edit
- Official website
- Ai Sugiyama at the Women's Tennis Association
- Ai Sugiyama at the International Tennis Federation
- Ai Sugiyama at the Billie Jean King Cup
- Ai Sugiyama at ESPN.com
- Ai Sugiyama at Olympedia
- Ai Sugiyama at Olympics.com