Kimiko Date

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Kimiko Date (伊達公子, Date Kimiko^?, born September 28, 1970) is a Japanese professional tennis player. In her career, she won over 200 tournament matches, including the Japan Open four times. In 1994, she was ranked in the top-ten women players in the world. In 1992, the WTA awarded her the "Most Improved Player Of The Year" and the Japan Men's Fashion Association named her "Most Fashionable." After playing in her second Olympiad, she announced her retirement on September 24, 1996.

Born in Kyoto, Japan, Date started playing tennis when she was 7 years old. By the age of 14, she reached the semi-finals in the All-Japan Junior Under-14 championship. In next year, she won the 3rd place in the Japanese National Junior High School Tennis Championship.

In 1986, while attending Sonoda-Joshi High School, she won the All-Japan Junior Under-16 Championship in doubles. In 1987, she reached the semi-finals in the All-Japan Tennis Championship.

In 1988, she won the Invitational All-Japan Junior Indoor Championship (for both women single and doubles), the Wimbledon Junior Championship (for singles), the Japanese National High School Athlete Meet (for singles and doubles), the Japanese All-Japan Junior Tennis Tournament Under-18 (for singles and doubles), and the International Women Circuit, Masters.

She played in her first Grand Slam event in 1990 at the Australian Open, where she reached the 4th round. At Wimbledon she won her first match, but lost her second match.

In 1991, she was runner-up of Virginia Slim Of Los Angeles Tournament, defeating Gabriela Sabatini, but losing to Monica Seles in the finals.

In 1992, Date defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the Toray Pan-Pacific Open and reached the semi-finals. That year she also won the Japan Open, reached the semi-finals in the Mizuno World Ladies Open, and the quarter-finals in the Lipton Championship and the Grand Slam, Roland Garros. She also participated in the Barcelona Olympics.

In 1993, she again won the Japan Open. She was runner-up in the Asia Women's Open and the Nichiray Ladies Cup. She reached the semi-finals in the Lipton Championships defeating M. J. Fernandez. In the U.S. Open, she reached the quarter-finals.

In 1994, she won her third consecutive Japan Open. She won the gold medal in Hiroshima Asia competition. She reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open (first time from Japan in over two decades, lost Steffi Graf) and the Virginia Slims Championships.

In 1995, she won the Toray PPO , and was runner-up in the Lipton Championship and the Japan Open. She reached the semi-finals in the Grand Slam, Roland Garros (lost Arantxa Sánchez Vicario), and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon (lost Jana Novotná).

In 1996, she reached her 200th win in tournament play. She also won both singles and doubles in Japan Open. In the Federation Cup, she defeated Steffi Graf for the first time. Date reached semifinals of Wimbledon, battling Graf over two days. Trailing 0-4 io the first set, she stormed back in the second set. Although the chair umpire initially refused to call off the match due to darkness despite Graf's plea, he changed his mind and postponed the final set until the next day. Graf swiftly won that and her seventh title there. Date also won a major tournament in San Diego and reached quarterfinals in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. She held her last match at the 2nd round of WTA Tour Championships; she lost to Martina Hingis 1-6, 2-6.

Kimiko Date lives in Tokyo and is married to German motor racing driver Michael Krumm.