Kuala Lumpur–born, and Japan's top-ranked woman of 2024
Right-handed with a two-handed backhand, turned pro in 2017 — the Tokyo-raised baseliner beat then-world No. 3 Jessica Pegula on her way to the 2025 Madrid Open quarterfinals.
Career-High Rank
No. 47
5 MAY 2025
Current Rank
No. 108
13 JUL 2026
Age
24
B. 11 AUG 2001
Turned Pro
2017
KUALA LUMPUR, MYS
Birthplace
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Residence
Tokyo, Japan (trains in Guangzhou, China)
Height
174 cm (5'9")
Plays
Right-handed
Backhand
Two-handed
Best Slam
2R — AO, Roland Garros, US Open
Uchijima grew up hitting on hard and artificial-grass courts in Japan, and by her own account clay was the surface that made no sense to her — until it suddenly did. Three consecutive ITF titles in the spring of 2024 pushed her into the top 100 for the first time and made her Japan's top-ranked woman, but at tour level she kept losing the close ones: tight matches against Mirra Andreeva at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at Indian Wells that she could not quite close out.
"Just last little hill I couldn't go over." — On her near-misses against top players, wtatennis.com, Madrid 2025
Madrid 2025 was where the hill finally gave way. A year after watching the tournament on television between ITF events, she came back through the main draw — recovering from a 1-6 first set against Robin Montgomery, then beating Ons Jabeur and third seed Jessica Pegula — to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal and a career-high No. 47. After her ranking slipped in the following months, she rebuilt in 2026 the same way she rose: two WTA 125 titles, both on clay, at Antalya and Saint-Malo.
"Last year it clicked."
ON FINALLY FINDING HER GAME ON CLAY · WTATENNIS.COM, MADRID 2025"I grew up watching Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka for the most part."
ON THE RISE OF ASIAN TENNIS · WTATENNIS.COM"He's always my idol."
ON KEI NISHIKORI, MADRID 2025 · WTATENNIS.COM