Naoko Kijimuta

Naoko Kijimuta

Country (sports)	Japan
Born	(1972-03-26) March 26, 1972 (age 49) Ebina, Kanagawa
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Turned pro	1992
Retired	1998
Prize money	$499,278
Singles
Career record	122–112 (52.1%)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 44 (March 3, 1997)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	1R (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
French Open	2R (1997)
Wimbledon	3R (1997)
US Open	3R (1996)
Doubles
Career record	125–87 (59.0%)
Career titles	5 WTA, 5 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 18 (October 13, 1997)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (1997, 1998)
French Open	3R (1997)
Wimbledon	3R (1997, 1998)
US Open	3R (1997)

Naoko Kijimuta (Japanese: 雉子牟田 直子 Kijimuta Naoko, born March 26, 1972) is a retired tennis player and winner of five professional doubles tournaments. She has been a representative of Japan in the Federation Cup.

Career[]

In the 1990s with her sister Akiko, she ranked among the top tennis players in Japan, alongside such players as Kimiko Date and Naoko Sawamatsu. From 1995 to 1997, she figured in the world top 100 in singles, taking a highest ranking in March 1997 - No. 44 (the season ended 1996 as the world's 50th best player).

Naoko's best results include the singles semifinals of the WTA Tour tournament in Jakarta (defeated by top-seeded Belgian Sabine Appelmans) and (Japan Open) in 1996, quarterfinals in Strasbourg in 1997, third rounds at the 1996 US Open and 1997 Wimbledon.

Greater successes she had in doubles, where she was ranked 18th in October 1997, and won five tournaments including WTA Tour events and another five lower-ranking (ITF Women's Circuit). All titles on the WTA Tour came with Japanese partners - Rika Hiraki, Miho Saeki and mostly with Nana Miyagi. Miyagi won three tournaments and twice was in the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament (Australian Open 1997 and 1998).

Kijimuta and Miyagi also appeared in several semifinals and sometimes in the last eight of Grand Slam events (Wimbledon, French Open and US Open in 1997, as well as Wimbledon in 1998 - this time victory over the Williams sisters by default).

Naoko Kijimuta played doubles in the Federation Cup 1997 and 1998, partnering Nana Miyagi and Kyoko Nagatsuka, but lost all three games.

Her tennis career ended in September 1998, at the Toyota Princess Cup tournament in Tokyo, where she passed the qualifying in the singles to be defeated in the first round of the main draw by German Anke Huber in three sets. Also the first round of the tournament in doubles (along with Rika Hiraki) ended in defeat.

Her career earnings was almost half a million dollars.

WTA career finals[]

Doubles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)[]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1.	3 October 1993	Sapporo Open, Japan	Carpet (i)	Yone Kamio	Yayuk Basuki Nana Smith	4–6, 2–6
Winner	2.	14 April 1996	Jakarta Open, Indonesia	Hard	Rika Hiraki	Laurence Courtois Nancy Feber	7–6, 7–5
Winner	3.	14 October 1996	China Open	Hard	Miho Saeki	Yuko Hosoki Kazue Takuma	7–5, 6–4
Winner	4.	5 January 1997	Gold Coast Classic, Australia	Hard	Nana Smith	Ruxandra Dragomir Silvia Farina	7–6, 6–1
Winner	5.	12 January 1997	Hobart International, Australia	Hard	Nana Smith	Barbara Rittner Dominique Van Roost	6–3, 6–1
Winner	6.	19 April 1998	Tokyo, Japan	Hard	Nana Smith	Amy Frazier Rika Hiraki	6–3, 4–6, 6–4

ITF Circuit finals[]

Singles (0–1)[]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1.	23 September 1991	ITF Kuroshio, Japan	Hard	Li Fang	3–6, 4–6

Doubles (5–3)[]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1.	28 September 1992	ITF Ibaraki, Japan	Hard	Yuko Hosoki	Lisa McShea Amy deLone	6–3, 2–2 ret.
Winner	2.	5 October 1992	ITF Kuroshio, Japan	Hard	Yuko Hosoki	Yuka Tanaka Mami Donoshiro	6–2, 6–4
Winner	3.	19 October 1992	ITF Kyoto, Japan	Hard	Yuko Hosoki	Varalee Sureephong Masako Yanagi	6–3, 6–3
Runner-up	4.	28 June 1993	ITF Columbia, United States	Hard	Yuko Hosoki	Keiko Nagatomi Mika Todo	5–7, 4–6
Winner	5.	5 July 1993	ITF Indianapolis, United States	Hard	Yuko Hosoki	Kate McDonald Stephanie Reece	7–5, 6–3
Winner	6.	16 August 1993	ITF Arzachena, Italy	Clay	Akiko Kijimuta	Linda Ferrando Silvia Farina Elia	6–0, 7–5
Runner-up	7.	30 October 1994	ITF Tarakan, Indonesia	Hard	Yone Kamio	Catherine Barclay Kerry-Anne Guse	2–6, 3–6
Runner-up	8.	6 August 1995	ITF Austin, United States	Hard	Yuka Yoshida	Shannan McCarthy Julie Steven	4–6, 3–6

External links[]

• Naoko Kijimuta at the Women's Tennis Association
• Naoko Kijimuta at the International Tennis Federation
• Naoko Kijimuta at the Billie Jean King Cup