By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday, February 4, 2025
After clinching the Australian Open Girls’ singles championship, 17-year-old Wakana Sonobe from Japan is seamlessly transitioning into the professional circuit. Just weeks after her junior triumph, she took full advantage of a wild card in Abu Dhabi’s qualifying rounds, delivering impressive performances to secure two victories against Top 100 players—American Hailey Baptiste and Spain’s Cristina Bucsa—allowing her to advance to the main draw.
On Monday, she achieved her first WTA main draw victory by defeating Yuan Yue of China, currently ranked 55th.
Now ranked 837, Sonobe is exhibiting the qualities of a future star on the tour. Despite recently celebrating her 17th birthday in Melbourne, her gameplay is anything but juvenile. With a powerful left-handed serve and aggressive groundstrokes, she plays with a formidable maturity. Not shy around the net, she showcases her talent with well-placed volleys.
Discover 17-year-old Japanese sensation Wakana Sonobe, who recently made her WTA main draw debut with a win in Abu Dhabi.
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— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) February 4, 2025
So far in 2025, Sonobe remains undefeated with a perfect 9-0 record across all competitive levels. Last year, she managed 17 wins out of 27 matches played in the professional realm, despite a first-round qualifying setback in Abu Dhabi.
Hailing from Saitama, Japan, Sonobe received a scholarship to train at the IMG Academy in Florida, provided by the Morita Tennis Fund—a distinguished organization that has previously supported ATP stars like Kei Nishikori and Shintaro Mochizuki.
As reported by Reem Abulleil from WTATennis.com, Sonobe had the opportunity to practice alongside Nishikori in Florida, appreciating his valuable insights. However, her true idol is Petra Kvitova.
Having made history as Japan’s first Girls’ champion in Melbourne, Sonobe aspires to continue her success on the professional circuit, anticipating a challenging match against either Ons Jabeur or Jelena Ostapenko in the next round.
During her match against Yuan, Sonobe recorded an impressive 36 winners, showcasing her tenacity by coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the second set.
As one of the few players born in 2008 to claim a victory on the WTA Tour—alongside Laura Samson and Emerson Jones—Sonobe proved her mettle by facing only two break points in her match against Yuan, successfully converting four breaks of her own.
Keep an eye on this gifted lefty; she is poised to climb the rankings in the coming year.