Rivals at the Summit: Ishii and Saito Clash in Quest for Japanese Tennis Supremacy
Sayaka Ishii and Sakura Saito, candidates for the ace of Japanese women’s tennis, engaged in a fierce battle for the All Japan Championship title, which has been held by top players from around the world. 19-year-old Ishii, whose father is former BayStars player Takuro Ishii, grew up at IMG Academy, and 18-year-old Saito, who graduated from a prestigious academy in Gunma and honed his skills. The film unravels the bond and rivalry between the two, who have set their sights on the world from an early age and have drawn contrasting footsteps, as well as the fierce battle between them.
(Text by Akira Uchida, Top photo by Sayaka Ishii[REX/Afro]Text photo by Sakura Saito[SportsPressJP/Afro])
A decisive battle for the next ace candidates for the title of tradition and history
Next to 19-year-old Sayaka Ishii, who was holding up the “Princess Chichibu Memorial Shield,” the proof of victory, 18-year-old Sakura Saito was smiling slightly awkwardly with a small trophy in her hand.
At the 99th All Japan Tennis Championships held at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo in early October, the finals for the teens between Ishii and Saito was held. It was the first time in 41 years since Akiko Kiko Muta vs. Kumiko Okamoto in 1983.
The title of “All Japan champions” is by no means their goal. However, it is a rite of passage title that has been won by top Japanese players who have been active around the world, such as Kimiko Date, Ai Sugiyama, Kurumi Nara, and Misaki Doi. The participants all agree that it is a place where you can feel the weight of tradition and history that you can’t get anywhere else. Saito in particular was in a position where everyone was chasing him, as he was the No. 1 seed even though it was his first time participating.
Saito, who was relieved of that burden after finishing the final, said in an on-court interview.
“I don’t really want to play against Sayaka-chan because it’s always a tough match, but I was happy to be able to fight on such a wonderful stage. Congratulations.”
Ishii responded by saying, “I’ve been working with Sakura-chan since we were juniors, so I’m happy to be able to compete on this stage.” The two were born one year apart and are rivals who faced off four times during their junior years, with a record of two wins and two losses.
I want people to say, “My father was a baseball player.”
Although the two women were well-known in the Japanese tennis world from early on, Ishii was probably talked about more often in the context of “Takuro Ishii’s daughter” than herself. Takuro Ishii is a famous baseball player who played as the leadoff man for the Yokohama BayStars and achieved 2,000 hits in total. As someone who inherits that DNA, her daughter Sayaka has attracted the attention of those involved at a young age.
Her father, Takuro, says that he did not dare to escape from the curious gaze of those around him.
Sayaka told her daughter early on, “A lot of people may gather around Sayaka, but that’s because she has her father’s name.”
On the other hand, since a certain period of time, her daughter has been motivated by surpassing her father’s reputation in terms of ability. Ishii first won the title of “No. 1 in Japan” at the 2019 National Invitational Junior Championship. After that, Ishii began to achieve results in international competitions, and his father reportedly told him, “What we’re aiming for is Mount Everest, not Mt. Fuji.If that’s the case, it would be better to base ourselves overseas rather than in Japan.”
At the age of 16, Ishii left for IMG Academy in Florida, USA. “I was thinking about leaving my parents soon,” the father said, and his feelings were probably conveyed to his daughter as he wrapped his arms around her in a way that made her feel hated. After that, Ishii became a regular at Grand Slam juniors and reached 5th place in the junior world rankings.
“I want people to say, “Sayaka Ishii’s father was a baseball player,” instead of “Takuro Ishii’s daughter plays tennis.”
Ishii made this declaration when he turned pro last spring.
A refined step honed at a prestigious academy that produced precocious geniuses.
While Ishii has moved overseas, Saito is still based at the MAT Tennis Academy in Gunma Prefecture, which has produced top pros such as Ayumira Morita. For Saito, it is a local tennis club, but he and Ishii have in common that they set their sights on the world from an early age and set their sights on the other side of the ocean. At the age of 11, he was selected as a member of Fuji Pharmaceutical’s support program and experienced many overseas expeditions. At the age of 16, Saito was grateful for the support, saying, “If it wasn’t for Fuji Pharmaceutical’s support, I think I would be attending high school by now and aiming for the Inter-High School.”
In 2020, due to the spread of the new coronavirus that has gripped the world, many opportunities to compete, let alone overseas, will be taken away. Still, Saito participated in international tournaments whenever possible.
Coach Hayato Matsuda, who has watched Saito since he was 12 years old, is the son of the founder of MAT Tennis Academy. She is in the same generation as Ayumi Morita, and they took lessons together when they were children. Later, when Morita showed his precocious talent, Matsuda’s father sent him on to something bigger, saying, “He’s too talented to handle.He should be looked at by an experienced coach.” Coach Matsuda says that while he respects his father, he also has a strong desire to “aspire to be even better than that.” I want to compete on the world stage with the players I trained. Saito’s refined path to rising to second place in the junior world rankings, while also competing in regular tournaments without fixating on results, is the accumulation of aspirations and history spanning two generations of the coaching family business.
“Friendly competition” and “we are fighting in the world together” shown in high-level fierce battles
Although Ishii and Saito have similar accomplishments as juniors, the paths they took to get there can be said to be contrasting. The All Japan Championship final match between these two was a fierce battle that could be called world class.
Ishii showed the ideal start. Saito was at a disadvantage due to the destructive power of Ishii, who was 175cm tall and punched the center of the ball. However, from the second set onwards, Saito’s high mobility and precision captured Ishii completely. Saito’s technique and mental stability, which allows him to strike cleanly left and right without dropping from the baseline, are already at tour level. After winning the second set, Saito continued to dominate the final set, and it looked like he was going to make it all the way to the finish line.
But here comes the final turning point. There was no time left, and Ishii’s strong blows began to hit the corners again. Ishii, who is uncontrollable when hit, is furious and wins four games in a row. It was a close come-from-behind victory as I overtook him in the last part.
Two weeks later, the two will face each other in the first round of the WTA Tour 500, the Toray Pan Pacific Open. Expectations were high for a heated battle similar to the All Japan final, but Ishii dominated this time, 6-1, 6-1. However, in the actual match, the difference is not as big as the score. Saito had multiple break chances in both sets. If Saito had taken ownership of some of them, things might have turned out differently.
“Sayaka-chan is one year older, so she always approaches the competition with the mindset of a challenger.”
Saito, who praised Ishii in this way, said with a shy smile, “We are rivals on the court, but off the court we talk about love and get along very well.” Ishii, on the other hand, feels strongly that Saito is “rather than a rival, he is a comrade who is fighting in the world together.”
“Friendly competition” is an overused phrase, but the reason it has been used so often is probably because it expresses a universal truth. At times running shoulder to shoulder, at other times facing each other head-on, the two jump on the updraft that they are creating. The goal is also far beyond Mt. Fuji… the top of Everest.
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