Rei Sakamoto
| Country (sports) | Japan |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 June 2006 Nagoya, Japan |
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Federico Ricci[1] |
| Prize money | US $367,875 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1–4 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 157 (23 February 2026) |
| Current ranking | No. 159 (2 March 2026) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2026) |
| US Open | Q2 (2025) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–2 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 750 (23 February 2026) |
| Current ranking | No. 750 (23 February 2026) |
| Last updated on: 20 March 2026. | |
Rei Sakamoto (坂本怜, Sakamoto Rei; born 24 June 2006) is a Japanese professional tennis player.[1] He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 157 and a doubles ranking of No. 750, both reached on 23 February 2026.[2] He is currently the No. 3 singles player from Japan.[3]
Sakamoto has won three singles titles on ATP Challenger Tour. He represents Japan at the Davis Cup.
Junior career
Sakamoto won the boys' singles title at the 2024 Australian Open, defeating Czech Jan Kumstát in the final.[4][5]
He was also runner-up in the boys' doubles category at the 2024 French Open, with Italian Federico Cinà. They lost to top seeds Nicolai Budkov Kjær and Joel Schwärzler in the final.[6]
Later that season, Sakamoto was crowned a champion in doubles at the 2024 US Open, with Czech Maxim Mrva. The pair defeated Denis Peták and Flynn Thomas in the final.[7][1]
He reached an ITF junior combined ranking of world No. 1 on 27 May 2024. He had remarkable results on the ITF junior circuit, maintaining a 114–39 singles win-loss record.[8][9]
Professional career
2024: First Challenger title
In March, Sakamoto received a wildcard for qualifying competition at the Miami Open, an ATP 1000-level event, but lost to Czech Vít Kopřiva in the first round.[10]
At the age of 18 and five months, Sakamoto won his first title at the 2024 Yokkaichi Challenger becoming the second youngest Japanese titlist after Kei Nishikori to lift an ATP Challenger trophy in history. As a result he reached the top 500 in the rankings on 2 December 2024.[11][12][13]
2025: Masters and top 175 debuts
Sakamoto received a wildcard for the qualifying competition at the 2025 Australian Open.[14]
Sakamoto made his Masters main draw debut at the 2025 Miami Open after qualifying, but lost to Alexandre Müller.[15]
He won his second Challenger title at 2025 Cary Tennis Classic and reached new career-high ranking of world No. 206 on 14 July 2025, rising 85 positions up in the singles rankings.[16][1] Sakamoto made history with winning his third title at home in Yokohama, becoming the first Japanese teenager to win three Challenger titles. As a result he reached the top 175 in the singles rankings at world No. 159 on 24 November 2025.[17][18]
2026: Major debut, First ATP and Masters win
Sakamoto made his Grand Slam debut at the 2026 Australian Open after qualifying for the main draw,[19] but lost to fellow qualifier Rafael Jódar in the first round.[20] Having received a wildcard for the 2026 Miami Open, Sakamoto recorded his first ATP and Masters win defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic.[21][22]
Performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slams | ||||||
| Australian Open | A | Q1 | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| French Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| US Open | A | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| ATP Masters 1000 | ||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Miami Open | Q1 | 1R | 2R | 0 / 2 | 1–1 | 50% |
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Madrid Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Italian Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Canada Masters | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Cincinnati Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Shanghai Masters | A | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |
| Paris Masters | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0 / 3 | 0–2 | 0% |
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Singles: 3 (3 titles)
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Nov 2024 | Yokkaichi Challenger, Japan | Challenger | Hard | Christoph Negritu | 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jun 2025 | Cary Tennis Classic, US | Challenger | Hard | Liam Draxl | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–0 | Nov 2025 | Yokohama Keio Challenger, Japan | Challenger | Hard | Kaichi Uchida | 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–4 |
ITF World Tennis Tour finals
Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Feb 2024 | M15 Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt | WTT | Hard | Jan Hrazdil | Emile Hudd David Stevenson |
6–3, 6–7(8–10), [11–9] |
| Loss | 1–1 | May 2024 | M15 Cervia, Italy | WTT | Clay | Federico Bondioli | Gianluca Cadenasso Jacopo Bilardo |
walkover |
Junior Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 (title)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2024 | Australian Open | Hard | Jan Kumstát | 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–5 |
Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2024 | French Open | Clay | Federico Cinà | Nicolai Budkov Kjær Joel Schwärzler |
4–6, 6–7(3–7) |
| Win | 2024 | US Open | Hard | Maxim Mrva | Denis Peták Flynn Thomas |
7–5, 7–6(7–1) |
References
- ^ a b c d "Meet Rei Sakamoto: Inside the rise of the #NextGenATP samurai". ATP Tour. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "Rei Sakamoto | Overview". ATP Tour.
- ^ "Japan | ATP Rankings (Singles)". ATP Tour.
- ^ "Sakamoto's warrior spirit on show to take junior boys' title". Australian Open. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Renata Jamrichova, Rei Sakamoto win Australian Open junior titles". ESPN. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Bigun streaks past Berkieta for Roland-Garros boys' title". Roland Garros. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Rafael Jodar, Mika Stojsavljevic win US Open junior titles". ESPN. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
- ^ "Rei Sakamoto Junior Overview".
- ^ "Rei Sakamoto Junior Activity".
- ^ "Rei Sakamoto vs Vít Kopřiva". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Sakamoto, 18, closes Challenger season in historic fashion". ATP Tour. 3 December 2024.
- ^ "Challenger Tour Weekly Recap: First Title For Lebanon, Dzumhur Triumphs For The 6th Time This Year". lastwordonsports.com. 3 December 2024.
- ^ "#NextGenATP Sakamoto surging with Nishikori's support". NextGenFinals. 5 February 2025.
- ^ "Cruz Hewitt among Australian Open qualifying wild cards". ATP Tour. 19 December 2024.
- ^ "Cina, 17, captures first tour-level win in Miami; Blockx, Sakamoto fall in ATP Masters 1000 debuts". ATP Tour. 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Challenger Tour Weekly Recap: Sakamoto Strikes Again". lastwordonsports.com. 7 July 2025.
- ^ @ATPChallenger (November 23, 2025). "Rei Sakamoto makes history for Japan 🇯🇵 The 19-year-old becomes the first Japanese teenager ever to win three Challenger titles!#ATPChallenger" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ "Sakamoto, 19, secures Challenger title at home". ATPTour. 24 November 2025.
- ^ "Who qualified for the 2026 Australian Open?". ATPTour. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "The rise of Rafael Jodar: 'He's the most mature 19-year-old you're going to meet'". atptour.com. 21 Jan 2026. Retrieved 21 Jan 2026.
- ^ "Sakamoto, 19, joins Djokovic, Murray & more with milestone win". 20 March 2026.
- ^ "Japan's Sakamoto claims maiden ATP win as teenage talent shines in Miami". Reuters. 20 March 2026.