Ayumi Morita
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is a
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of number 40 in the world in October 2011. At junior level, she reached a combined career-high ranking of world No. 3. Morita is known for strong and consistent two-handed groundstrokes which she hits very flat. She is also regarded as very tough mentally for a young player, often showing great resolve to win close matches despite a lackluster serve. Morita is a small and quick player with excellent footwork and movement around the court. Morita is one of the most successful
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
players of recent times with a 23–14 match win record for
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.


Career

On September 16, 2008, she beat world No. 19,
Ágnes Szávay Ágnes Szávay ( hu, Szávay Ágnes, ; born 29 December 1988) is a former professional tennis player from Hungary. The 2007 WTA Newcomer of the Year achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 13 in April 2008. Personal life Szávay was bor ...
, in three sets in the
Pan Pacific Open The Pan Pacific Open ( ja, 東レ パン・パシフィック・オープン・テニストーナメント), currently sponsored by Toray Industries, is a women's outdoor hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Tokyo, Japan. It is a WTA 500-le ...
. In January 2009, Morita upset former
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
quarterfinalist
Michaëlla Krajicek Michaëlla Krajicek ( cz, Michaela Krajíčková; born 9 January 1989) is a Dutch former tennis player. She won three singles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as one WTA 125 doubles title, and 14 singles and 22 doubles titles on ...
in the final round of qualifying to reach the main draw of the Auckland Open. She faced third set deficits in all three of her qualifying matches, including a 4–1 deficit in her first match against
Katie O'Brien Katie Jill O'Brien (born 2 May 1986) is a British former professional tennis player from Beverley, Yorkshire. She was briefly the British No. 1 tennis player, and reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 84 on 1 February 2010. She w ...
.


2011

Her first tournament of the season was the ASB Classic. She faced Romanian teenager
Simona Halep Simona Halep (; born 27 September 1991) is a Romanian professional tennis player. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles twice between 2017 and 2019, for a total of 64 weeks, which ranks eleventh in the history of the Women's Tennis Assoc ...
and lost in straight sets despite recovering from being two breaks down in the second set. Her next tournament was the
Hobart International The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. Held since 1994, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an Interna ...
. She beat
Akgul Amanmuradova Akgul Charievna Amanmuradova ( uz, Oqgul Omonmurodova; born June 23, 1984) is a professional tennis player from Uzbekistan. At 1.90 metres in height, she is one of the tallest female tennis players in history. Amanmuradova has won two d ...
. Her next opponent was
Bethanie Mattek-Sands Bethanie Mattek-Sands ( Bethanie Lynn Mattek; born March 23, 1985) is an American professional tennis player. She has won nine Grand Slam titles (five in women's doubles and four in mixed doubles), and an Olympic gold medal, and is a former w ...
, to whom she lost in two sets. Ayumi played at the
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
where she defeated No. 27 seed
Alexandra Dulgheru Alexandra Dulgheru (; born 30 May 1989) is a professional tennis player from Romania. On 11 April 2011, she achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 26. Her best ranking in doubles is No. 41, reached on 4 July 2011. She is coached b ...
in two sets. She defeated
wildcard Wild card most commonly refers to: * Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games * Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...
Caroline Garcia Caroline Garcia (, born 16 October 1993) is a French professional tennis player. She has been ranked in the top 5 in both singles at world No. 4 and in doubles at world No. 2. Garcia is the 2022 WTA Finals singles champion. She is also a two- ...
in the second round but lost to
Peng Shuai Peng Shuai (; born 8 January 1986) is a Chinese retired professional tennis player. In February 2014, she was ranked world No. 1 doubles player by the WTA, becoming the first Chinese tennis player to achieve that ranking (in either single ...
in the third round. At the Dubai Championships, Morita qualified by defeating
Sophie Lefèvre Sophie Lefèvre (born 23 February 1981 in Toulouse) is a retired French tennis player. On 15 September 2003, she reached her career-high WTA ranking of 216 in singles. Her highest doubles ranking was 76, reached on 21 February 2011. Lefèvre re ...
and
Vesna Manasieva Vesna Ratkovna Dolonc (Serbian Cyrillic and russian: link=yes, Весна Ратковна Долонц; née Manasieva, Манасиева; born 21 July 1989) is a retired Serbian tennis player. She earned career-highs of 84 in singles and 93 ...
. In the first round of the main draw, she defeated No. 14 seed
Petra Kvitová Petra Kvitová, OLY ( , ; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová has won 29 career singles titles, including two major titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and ...
in two tiebreaks. Before the match, Kvitová had only lost once in 2011 and had already won two titles. Morita beat wildcard
Sania Mirza Sania Mirza (; born 15 November 1986) is an Indian professional tennis player. A former doubles world No. 1, she has won six major titles – three in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 until her retirement from singles i ...
in the second round before losing to
Caroline Wozniacki Caroline Wozniacki (; born 11 July 1990) is a Danish former professional tennis player. She was ranked world No. 1 in singles for a total of 71 weeks, including at the end of 2010 and 2011. She achieved the top ranking for the first time on 11 ...
in the third round.


2013

Morita began her season at the first edition of the Shenzhen Open. She lost in the second round to sixth seed Peng Shuai. After qualifying for the
Apia International Sydney The Sydney International (formerly known as the Championship of New South Wales and New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), formerly sponsored as the Apia International Sydney from 2012 to 2017, is a professional tennis tournament i ...
, Morita reached the second round where she was defeated by fourth seed
Li Na Li Na (born 26 February 1982) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high WTA ranking of world No. 2 on 17 February 2014. Over the course of her career, Li won nine WTA Tour singles titles including two Grand ...
. Ranked 72 at the
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
, Morita reached the third round after straight-set victories over
Anna Tatishvili Anna Tatishvili ( ka, ანა ტატიშვილი, tr, ; born February 3, 1990) is a Georgian- American former professional tennis player. In her career, Tatishvili won eleven singles and eight doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circui ...
and
Annika Beck Annika Beck (; born 16 February 1994) is a German former professional tennis player. She started playing tennis at the age of four when introduced to the game by her parents. A baseliner whose favorite shot is forehand, and favorite surface is ...
. She lost in her third-round match to third seed
Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
. In Thailand at the Pattaya Open, Morita upset top seed, Ana Ivanovic, in the first round. She beat Kimiko Date-Krumm in the second to advance to the quarterfinals. She was defeated in her quarterfinal match by
Nina Bratchikova Nina Bratchikova (russian: Нина Олеговна Братчикова; born 28 June 1985) is a Russian former professional tennis player. Bratchikova won nine singles and 35 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 10 December 2012, ...
. During the
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
tie versus Russia, Morita won both of her rubbers over
Ekaterina Makarova Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova ( rus, Екатери́на Вале́рьевна Мака́рова; ; born 7 June 1988) is a Russian former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles, and world No. 8 in singles. She ...
and Elena Vesnina. Russia ended up winning 3-2. Morita retired from her second round of qualifying match at the Dubai Championships to Jie Zheng. Seeded fourth at the Malaysian Open, Morita lost in the semifinal round to eventual champion
Karolína Plíšková Karolína Hrdličková ( née Plíšková; ; born 21 March 1992) is a Czech professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 in singles, reaching the top of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings on 17 July 2017 and holding the pos ...
. In Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open, Morita was defeated in the first round by qualifier
Lesia Tsurenko Lesia Viktorivna Tsurenko ( uk, Леся Вікторівна Цуренко; born 30 May 1989) is a Ukrainian tennis player. Tsurenko has won four singles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as six singles and eight doubles tournaments on the IT ...
. At the Sony Open, she made it to the third round after defeating Heather Watson and 31st seed Yanina Wickmayer. She lost her third-round match to top seed and eventual champion Serena Williams. Seeded eighth at the
Monterrey Open The Monterrey Open is a professional women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. The event is affiliated with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and is part of the 250 series on the WTA Tour. From 2009 to 2013, the tournament wa ...
, Morita was defeated in her quarterfinal match by top seed and eventual finalist Angelique Kerber. Playing in the
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
tie versus Spain, Morita lost both of her matches to Sílvia Soler Espinosa and Carla Suárez Navarro. Spain won 4-0. Morita began her clay-court season at the
Portugal Open The Portugal Open (formerly named Estoril Open) was an ATP and WTA clay court tennis tournament in Portugal. The event took place at the sports complex of Jamor in Oeiras, of which Estoril Court Central is the most prominent show court. In 20 ...
. She was defeated in her quarterfinal match by defending champion
Kaia Kanepi Kaia Kanepi (; born 10 June 1985) is an Estonian professional tennis player. She achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 15 on 20 August 2012 and has won four singles titles on the WTA Tour. Described as a 'resident Grand Slam upset spec ...
. Morita retired during her first-round match at the
Madrid Open There are three sporting events known as the Madrid Open: * Madrid Open (golf) The Madrid Open was an annual men's golf tournament which was held in and around the Spanish capital Madrid from 1968 to 2007, apart from a seven-year gap from 1994 to ...
against Sorana Cîrstea due to a left abductor strain. She returned to action at the Italian Open. She made it to the third round beating Sorana Cîrstea and Urszula Radwańska. She retired from her third-round match against third seed
Victoria Azarenka Victória Fyódarauna Azárenka ( be, Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка; Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Azarenka is a former w ...
due to injury. Ranked 44 at the
French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, Morita lost in the first round to
Yulia Putintseva Yulia Antonovna Putintseva ( rus, Ю́лия Анто́новна Пути́нцева; , ''puh-TEEN-tseh-vah''; born 7 January 1995) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She is a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist (twic ...
. Beginning her grass-court season at the
Aegon Classic The Birmingham Classic (currently sponsored by Rothesay Pensions) is a 250-level women's tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tour ...
, Morita was defeated in the first round by qualifier Alison Van Uytvanck. In Rosmalen at the
Topshelf Open The Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, branded by its sponsored name as the :nl:Libéma, Libéma Open since 2018, (formerly known as the Continental Grass Court Championships, Heineken Trophy, Ordina Open, UNICEF Open, Topshelf Open and RICOH Ope ...
, Morita lost in the first round to Sofia Arvidsson. Ranked 50 at the
Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...
, Morita was defeated in the first round by Marina Erakovic. Starting her US Open Series at the
Bank of the West Classic The Silicon Valley Classic, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company, is a week-long tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, California, United States. Started in 1971, the tournament is the ol ...
, Morita lost in the first round to fifth seed Sorana Cîrstea. At the
Southern California Open The Southern California Open currently known as The San Diego Open is an ATP 250 and WTA 500 tournament held at the Barnes Tennis Centre in San Diego, California. The event originated as the Southern California Championships that ran from 1887 ...
, she was defeated in the first round by Laura Robson. Reaching the main draw as a lucky loser at the
Rogers Cup The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...
, she lost in the first round to American Varvara Lepchenko. In Ohio at the Western & Southern Open, Morita was defeated in the first round of qualifying by
Alison Riske Alison Riske-Amritraj (née Riske; born July 3, 1990) is an American professional tennis player. She reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 in November 2019 and won her first WTA Tour title in October 2014 at the Tianjin Open. ...
. Even though she qualified for the
New Haven Open at Yale The Connecticut Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was a WTA Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour until its final edition in 2018. From 2005 through 2010 the tournament was also part of the ATP World Tour 2 ...
, Morita retired during her first-round match against Elena Vesnina due to a low back injury. The low back injury caused her to withdraw from the US Open. In Tokyo at the
Pan Pacific Open The Pan Pacific Open ( ja, 東レ パン・パシフィック・オープン・テニストーナメント), currently sponsored by Toray Industries, is a women's outdoor hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Tokyo, Japan. It is a WTA 500-le ...
, Morita beat Laura Robson in her first-round match. She lost in the second round to sixth seed Jelena Janković. At the
HP Open The Japan Women's Open Tennis is a professional women's tennis tournament played on Hard court, outdoor hard courts. The event is affiliated with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and is an WTA International Tournaments, International-level to ...
, Morita was defeated in the first round by Luksika Kumkhum. Seeded fourth at the Nanjing Open, Morita made it to the final where she retired against third seed Zhang Shuai due to a left hamstring injury. Morita played her final tournament of the season at the
Taipei Open The Taipei Open or Taipei WTA Challenger () is a tournament for female professional tennis players played on indoor carpet courts. The event is currently classified as an WTA 125K tournament. It has been held annually in November in Taipei Ci ...
. Seeded fourth, she lost in the first round to Yaroslava Shvedova. Morita ended the year ranked 61.


2014

Morita started her 2014 season at the ASB Classic. She upset sixth seed Lucie Šafářová in the first round. In the second round, she lost to compatriot
Kurumi Nara is a Japanese former professional tennis player. She has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, as well as six singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 18 August 2014, she reached a career-high singles ranking of worl ...
. At the
Apia International Sydney The Sydney International (formerly known as the Championship of New South Wales and New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), formerly sponsored as the Apia International Sydney from 2012 to 2017, is a professional tennis tournament i ...
, she retired during her first round of qualifying match against Tsvetana Pironkova due to injury. Ranked 61 at the
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
, Morita was defeated in the second round by eighth seed Jelena Janković. In Mexico at the
Monterrey Open The Monterrey Open is a professional women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. The event is affiliated with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and is part of the 250 series on the WTA Tour. From 2009 to 2013, the tournament wa ...
, she retired during her second-round clash against sixth seed Magdaléna Rybáriková due to dizziness. Seeded eighth at the Malaysian Open, Morita lost in the first round to qualifier
Lyudmyla Kichenok Lyudmyla Viktorivna Kichenok ( uk, Людмила Вікторівна Кіченок; born 20 July 1992) is a Ukrainian professional tennis player. On 21 July 2014, Lyudmyla reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 156. On 12 Septem ...
.


Grand Slam performance timelines


Singles


Doubles


WTA career finals


Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)


WTA 125K series finals


Singles: 1 (runner-up)


ITF Circuit finals


Singles: 19 (10 titles, 9 runner-ups)


Doubles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner-ups)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morita, Ayumi 1990 births Living people Japanese female tennis players Olympic tennis players of Japan People from Ōta, Gunma Sportspeople from Gunma Prefecture Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games medalists in tennis Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan 21st-century Japanese women