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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday April 27, 2025


Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima has been making big waves on the tour this year. On Sunday in Madrid she made her biggest splash yet, defeating third-ranked Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-2 to reach the fourth round. She backed up that win on Tuesday with an impressive 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Tennis Express

Uchijima is into the round of 16 at a 1000 event for the first time, and will face Elina Svitolina next.

Find out more about the rising Japanese talent here:

She Broke into the Top 100 in 2024

Uchijima was ranked No.171 at the start of the 2024 season. Now she’s up to No.54 in the live rankings. Uchijima won 51 matches across all levels in 2024, and won her first two main draw matches on tour, at Roland-Garros and the US Open, after qualifying.

Uchijima was named ITF World Tennis Tour Player of the Month for May after a run that culminated in her first Grand Slam match-win at Roland Garros.


She Loves Clay – and Madrid

Though she didn't form her game on the surface, Uchijima is loving the red stuff now that she's had a couple of years to play and adapt her game to it.

“I didn’t grow up playing on clay courts but after I won an (ITF event last year in Madrid), I started to like clay more and more."

She cites clay as her favorite surface on the WTA website.

By reaching the quarterfinals she has matched the best performance by a Japanese woman in Madrid. Naomi Osaka also reached the quarterfinals in 2019.

She Reached No.83 in the Junior Rankings

She wasn’t among the biggest names during her junior days of 2018 and 2019. She played four junior Grand Slams with a best result of round of 16 in 2018 at the US Open.

She’s beaten five big names since February

Uchijima has wins over Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai, Emma Raducanu at Indian Wells, as well as Ons Jabeur, Pegula and Alexandrova at Madrid.

Uchijima was 2-14 against the Top 50 when the season began. Already in 2025 she has won five matches against Top 50 players (5-7).

She also took Coco Gauff to three sets at Indian Wells, before falling in a third-set breaker. She also lost to Mirra Andreeva in a third-set tiebreak, in the second round at this year’s Australian Open.



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