Tennis Prose




Dec/16

24

She Won’t Give Up: Junri Namigata’s Example of Perseverance Rewarded

Junri Namigata

By Scoop Malinowski

Junri Namigata’s perseverance has been rewarded. The Japanese veteran qualified for the Australian Open main draw in doubles (with her partner Chin Wei Chan) by winning the Asia Pacific Wildcard tournament in China 1-6 6-4 10-8 over a pair of young Asian players Ching Wen Hsu and Kei Chen Chang.

The now 34-year-old Namigata’s career has not been your typical journey. She played college tennis in Japan at Waseda University and turned pro in 2005.  Success has been sporadic. She reached the third round of US Open qualies in 2006. The five-foot, seven inch tall Namigata actually reached the doubles finals in Bangkok in 2007 with Ayumi Morita but lost the final by walkover.

In 2008 Namigata lost in the first round of Wimbledon main draw doubles. In 2010 she reached the third round of Wimbledon and US Open singles qualies for the second time.

In 2011, Namigata reached the main draws of the Australian  Open and Roland Garros but lost in the first rounds of both. She has never reached the second round of a Grand Slam main draw.

Finally, three years later in 2014, Namigata’s perseverance paid off as she won her first and only WTA title, in doubles at the inaugural Jiangxi tournament, winning the final with partner Chuang Chia-Jung 76 63 vs. Xu Yifan and Chin Wei-Chan.

 

In her eleven year professional career, Namigata’s career high ranking in singles was 105 (in 2011) and 101 in doubles (2015). Right now she’s ranked 253 in singles.  Her career prize money according to Wikipedia is $459,390. Overall, Namigata has won six ITF singles titles and 18 doubles.

But her career received a new surge this week by winning the Asia Pacific doubles wildcard final which was contested in China.

It was a fascinating match. The quality of tennis was outstanding. All four players were ripping rockets all over the court and it was hard to believe all four players were unknown to even the most devoted tennis followers. Namigata, playing with a Prince racquet and wearing a no frills brand outfit with white adidas shoes, stood out in that she was the most expressive, often smiling and showing “anxiety” as the TV commentator Todd Woodbridge commented.

Namigata and her partner got smoked in the first set 1-6, losing two no-ad deciding points.  But in the second set they managed to change the flow of the one-sided match and won a key no-ad deciding point at 4-3 and then finished the set to force the ten-point super tiebreaker. At 8-8, the opposing team double-faulted into the net and then on the final point of the match a volley winner by partner Chan, set up by Namigata’s relentless and powerful baseline ground strokes, clinched the victory – and the slot into the Australian Open main draw of women’s doubles.

Namigata raised her arms high like a champion boxer and flashed a bright smile. For only the fourth time in her eleven-year pro career Namigata will compete in the main draw of a Grand Slam event.

 

Junri Namigata 1, 2015 Wimbledon Qualifying - Diliff.jpg

No tags

166 comments

  • catherine bell · January 4, 2017 at 3:51 am

    Embarrassing losses in Shenzhen ? O Simona 🙂

    Maybe a blip – who was that who beat her ? Does anyone know her ?

  • catherine bell · January 4, 2017 at 4:02 am

    Simona’s victor was a Czech – what else these days ?

    Oh and farewell Serena too but there’s more excuses for her I think.

    Actually, wouldn’t take early season losses that seriously – I’m sure Andy’s not 🙂

  • Hartt · January 4, 2017 at 7:50 am

    Just saw the last 2 sets of Fed vs. Sascha at Hopman Cup. I know it’s an exhibition but those guys were playing some serious tennis. All 3 sets went to TBs and Sascha won in the end. He made some terrific shots and kept his composure throughout (in not missing shots after a tough break, he was certainly expressing his displeasure at the net cord machine).

    So look out world, the Zverev brothers are on the march. 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 4, 2017 at 8:27 am

    Incredible win by Zverev and it’s such a good sign that he did not roll over and defer to the King of tennis – Zverev will be a future no 1 –

  • Hartt · January 4, 2017 at 9:02 am

    Catherine, was vaguely aware of Siniakova but just looked up her WTA ptofile. She is coached by her father but also works with Sukova. Those Czech women keep coming in a never-ending stream!

  • catherine bell · January 4, 2017 at 9:55 am

    Hartt –

    Would that be Helena Sukova, Vera’s daughter ? I saw her play quite a bit in the 80s. She was gangly kind of player, good, but just not good enough, a bit slow. She did reach US Open final where Martina beat her.
    That year all 4 finalists had roots in Central Europe – Navratilova, Sukova, Lendl and Mecir. Unusual at that time.

    You can’t tell from 1st season’s tournaments but for Simona to lose to a qualifier can’t be a good sign. Her serve was apparently AWOL.
    If she loses early in AO can see a coaching change somewhere on the horizon. Maybe she can lure Torben away from Angie 🙂

  • Hartt · January 4, 2017 at 12:24 pm

    Yes, Helena Sukova.

    Recently I read a quote from Simona saying she wanted to play the rest of her career with Cahill!

  • catherine bell · January 4, 2017 at 1:14 pm

    Hartt –

    Well, good luck to her. She’ll need it.

    Where did you read the quote ?

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 4, 2017 at 1:57 pm

    That quote brings to mind when a pro sports team is struggling and the owner says the coach’s job security is safe and then a week or two later the coach gets fired :)_ But maybe Halep knows that Cahill is the best possible coach for her and will keep her words and stay loyal with Cahill –

  • catherine bell · January 4, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    I’ll believe in Simona when she wins a tournament which does not allow on-court coaching.
    I thought Cahill was going to put a stop to that but he hasn’t.

    Then, Simona at 25 has already run through half a dozen coaches so she might as well stay off the merry-go-round now.

  • Andrew Miller · January 4, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    Siniakova has strong us open singles not surprised. However I am surprised by very high number of Czech wta players! They are like Russia wta 2000-2004 in terms of high#. Too soon to tell if they have chops to rival the caliber of myskina/sharpie/kuzneysova/dementieva but there’s a decent chance a Czech player may join kvitova as a slam winner. Pliskova Karo the clear nod with here davenport-like game others may join in the grab a slam b like Kerber era of women’s tennis we have entered.

  • Andrew Miller · January 4, 2017 at 2:51 pm

    Not sure why I struggle to root for Madison Keys. Technically she is a us version of Pliskova with plenty of heft to her game does nothing to upset anyone sometimes is unfocused but nothing objeyionable and if a us player on the men’s tour had her game we would be talking about them nonstop. I must be biased. Keys needs a torben also to Kerberize the field.

  • Hartt · January 4, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    Am not sure where I saw the Simona statement but it was recently and it was such a definite thing to say that I took notice of it.

    Just saw Murray manage to win over Gerald Melzer in Doha. Melzer put up a great fight, he seemed like a warrior, so it was a very entertaining match. Poor Andy was sort of laid out in his chair at the end of it, totally exhausted.

  • catherine bell · January 4, 2017 at 3:34 pm

    Sometimes a player can get comfortable with a coach and it becomes a kind of collusive thing. After all, who pays the piper calls the tune.

    That can happen in team sports as well, where, although the team is performing poorly, they will not allow criticism of the coach who sometimes has to be forcibly removed.
    Happened in English cricket a few seasons ago.

    As for Simona the AO should tell us more.

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 5, 2017 at 9:28 am

    Andrew: We all like Keys because she is nice and she shows potential to be a top five major title winner caliber player –

  • catherine bell · January 5, 2017 at 10:04 am

    My comments re Simona andd Cahill might sound a bit uncharitable (as if she’d care).

    What I really mean I suppose is that when you are just 25 you really don’t have a clue what you will be feeling or doing in 3 or 4 years time. So to commit yourself so totally at this stage is maybe unrealistic, or unecessary.

    These days coaches sometimes seem to get more attention than the players – didn’t happen like that in previous era – mainly for economic reasons I suppose.

1 2 3 4

<<

>>

Find it!

Copyright 2010
Tennis-Prose.com
To top