Osaka hosts the third edition of the WTA 250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open from October 13-19, one of two WTA Tour events scheduled alongside the WTA 500 in Ningbo. While the Chinese tournament features higher-ranked players still competing for WTA Finals qualification, the Osaka event delivers a surprisingly strong lineup for a 250-level tournament. All eight seeds rank inside the top 50, including several well-known names who have already succeeded this season on the biggest stages. With no first-round byes, the action begins Monday with top seeds entering immediately. The tournament returns to the Utsubo Tennis Center with a 32-player singles draw competing on outdoor hard courts.
Osaka leads field on home soil
World number 16 Naomi Osaka headlines the draw as top seed at her home tournament. The Japanese star has experienced a resurgence in form throughout 2025, reaching the final of the WTA 1000 Canadian Open and advancing to the US Open semifinals where she fell just short against Amanda Anisimova. These results lifted Osaka back into the top 20 for her best performances since returning from maternity leave. However, the Asian hard court swing proved disappointing for the former world number one. She suffered a shocking first-round upset to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Beijing and managed just one victory in Wuhan before losing to Linda Noskova.
Naomi Osaka opens her Japan Open campaign Monday against local wild card Wakana Sonobe, ranked 267th in the world. The match represents a straightforward start for the four-time Grand Slam champion, though the pressure of competing as top seed on home soil adds complexity. A potential second-round encounter promises intrigue against either surprising 2024 Japan Open champion Suzan Lamens or Emiliana Arango, who reached WTA 500 finals in both Merida and Guadalajara this year. The Dutch champion Lamens captured her maiden WTA title in Osaka last year with a dominant 6-0, 6-4 victory over Kimberly Birrell in the final.
Third seed Elise Mertens tops the second quarter of the upper half. The Belgian begins against Cristina Bucsa after experiencing a split season. Mertens claimed titles at the WTA 250 Singapore and WTA 500 Libema Open on grass during a strong first half, but has won just one of three matches since reaching the US Open third round. She withdrew before the second round of Wuhan Open, giving a walkover to Belinda Bencic. Mertens could face an intriguing second-round clash with young Filipino talent Alexandra Eala, who gained widespread recognition after defeating Iga Swiatek during her run to the Miami Open semifinals and was more than close to win the WTA 500 final in Eastbourne on grass.
Noskova seeks extension of career-best run
Second seed Linda Noskova arrives in Japan hoping to extend her breakthrough Asian hard court campaign. The 20-year-old Czech reached her first WTA 1000 final in Beijing, losing to Amanda Anisimova despite pushing the match to three sets against the well-disposed American. The career-best result lifted Noskova to a career-high 17th in the rankings. The young star relies heavily on her serve and has demonstrated consistent form throughout the season with seven quarterfinal appearances. The only element missing from her impressive 2025 tally remains a tournament title, having fallen short in finals at both the WTA 250 Prague Open to compatriot Marie Bouzkova in July and the Beijing final.
Noskova kicks-off her Japan Open from interesting tie against Katie Boulter on Monday. The Brit who celebrated great 2024 season, completely lost the momentum in 2025. Boulter won just 14 out of 32 matches in WTA Tour main draws including 8-12 on hard courts. She failed to qualify into Wuhan Open, getting beaten by the world number 115 Vktoriya Tomova, which has extended Boulter's crisis of form trademarked with current series of 11 losses in last 15 matches played. The last quarter looks interesting, as Noskova can meet Sorana Cirstea in case of defeating Boulter. The Romanian veteran won the WTA 250 in Cleveland and performed two good runs in WTA 1000 events - quarterfinal in Dubai and round of 16 in Cincinnati. Marie Bouzkova is the 5th seed, staying on the colliding path with Noskova in potential quarterfinal clash being the revenge for their Prague Open final's encounter.
Third quarter looks less impressive, being led by 4th seed Leylah Fernandez who starts from the match against world number 55 - Hailey Baptiste. The 7th seed Ann Li seems to be the most dominant player in this quarter in terms of difference between breakpoints produced and defended on hard courts this season. Three spots will be occupied by the qualifiers, which makes this section of a draw probably most opened in whole the draw.
Statistical heatmap and draw
