1. Overview
Maki Arai (新井 麻葵Arai MakiJapanese), born on December 23, 1982, is a former professional Japanese tennis player. Known for her height, which was a significant asset in her game, Arai competed extensively on the ITF Circuit from 2000 until her retirement in 2010. During her career, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 425 in June 2004 and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 185 in September 2005. She amassed 27 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit and demonstrated notable performance at national level tournaments, including reaching the singles semifinals and doubles final at the 2004 All Japan Tennis Championships.
2. Early Life and Background
Maki Arai's foundational experiences in her youth paved the way for her professional tennis career.
2.1. Childhood and Education
Born on December 23, 1982, in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan, Maki Arai began playing tennis at the age of six. Her early education included attending Fujimura Girls' Junior and Senior High School, where she cultivated her skills before transitioning to professional tennis. Standing at 70 in (179 cm) tall and weighing 148 lb (67 kg), Arai's significant height was a natural advantage that she leveraged in her playing style throughout her career.
3. Professional Tennis Career
Maki Arai's professional career spanned a decade, during which she established herself primarily as a doubles specialist on the ITF circuit.
Arai officially turned professional in February 2001, although her professional debut year is listed as 2000. She was a right-handed player who utilized a two-handed backhand, a common technique among modern tennis players. Her career saw her travel extensively, competing in numerous tournaments both domestically within Japan and internationally.
3.1. Career Statistics
Throughout her professional career, Maki Arai maintained a consistent presence on the ITF Circuit, especially distinguishing herself in doubles.
Arai's professional career statistics are as follows:
- Singles Record:** 124 wins and 174 losses
- Doubles Record:** 249 wins and 125 losses
- Total Career Record:** 373 wins and 299 losses
- Career-High Singles Ranking:** No. 425, achieved on June 14, 2004
- Career-High Doubles Ranking:** No. 185, achieved on September 12, 2005
- Singles Titles:** 0
- Doubles Titles:** 27 ITF titles
- Career Prize Money:** 63.37 K USD
4. Major Tournament Results
Maki Arai's career highlights include numerous finals appearances on the ITF Circuit and strong performances at national championships.
4.1. ITF Circuit Finals
Maki Arai competed in a total of 50 ITF Circuit finals, with three appearances in singles finals and 47 in doubles finals.
4.1.1. Singles Finals
Arai reached three singles finals on the ITF Circuit, but was unable to secure a title.
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | 6 May 2001 | ITF Hatfield, United Kingdom | Clay | Marion Bartoli | 0-6, 2-6 |
| Loss | 2. | 26 October 2003 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Ryōko Fuda | 7-5, 3-6, 2-6 |
| Loss | 3. | 22 June 2008 | ITF Sutama, Japan | Clay | Miki Miyamura | 3-6, 3-6 |
4.1.2. Doubles Finals
Arai had significant success in doubles on the ITF Circuit, winning 27 titles from 47 final appearances.
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | 26 September 1999 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Kumiko Iijima | Li Na Li Ting | 2-6, 1-6 |
| Win | 2. | 21 November 1999 | ITF Haibara, Japan | Carpet | Kumiko Iijima | Choi Young-ja Kim Eun-sook | 6-2, 6-0 |
| Loss | 3. | 28 November 1999 | ITF Kofu, Japan | Carpet | Remi Tezuka | Seiko Okamoto Keiko Taguchi | 6-7, 6-0, 5-7 |
| Loss | 4. | 20 November 2000 | Kofu Open, Japan | Carpet | Kumiko Iijima | Seiko Okamoto Keiko Taguchi | 5-3, 1-4, 4-5, 1-4 |
| Win | 5. | 29 April 2001 | ITF Bournemouth, England | Clay | Julia Smith | Daniela Klemenschits Sandra Klemenschits | 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 |
| Win | 6. | 24 June 2001 | ITF Montréal, Canada | Hard | Kaori Aoyama | Ayano Takeuchi Tomoko Yonemura | 6-1, 6-3 |
| Win | 7. | 8 July 2001 | ITF Kaohsiung, Taiwan | Hard | Kumiko Iijima | Khoo Chin-bee Weng Tzu-ting | w/o |
| Win | 8. | 10 February 2002 | ITF Faro, Portugal | Hard | Remi Tezuka | Satomi Kinjo Seiko Okamoto | 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 |
| Win | 9. | 17 February 2002 | ITF Vilamoura, Portugal | Hard | Remi Tezuka | Liana Ungur Marta Fraga | 6-2, 7-5 |
| Win | 10. | 21 July 2002 | ITF Seoul, South Korea | Hard | Seiko Okamoto | Chae Kyung-yee Chang Kyung-mi | 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 |
| Win | 11. | 1 September 2002 | ITF Ibaraki, Japan | Hard | Kaori Aoyama | Yumiko Kitamura Keiko Taguchi | 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 |
| Loss | 12. | 15 September 2002 | ITF Kyoto, Japan | Hard (i) | Kaori Aoyama | Shiho Hisamatsu Maiko Inoue | 5-7, 5-7 |
| Loss | 13. | 23 February 2003 | ITF Bangalore, India | Hard | Natallia Dziamidzenka | Rushmi Chakravarthi Sai Jayalakshmy Jayaram | 6-7(5), 6-7(4) |
| Loss | 14. | 20 April 2003 | ITF Yamaguchi, Japan | Clay | Ryoko Fuda | Akiko Kinebuchi Tomoko Taira | 6-3, 6-7(7), 4-6 |
| Loss | 15. | 18 May 2003 | ITF Nagano, Japan | Grass | Aiko Nakamura | Tomoko Taira Tomoko Yonemura | 3-6, 1-6 |
| Loss | 16. | 25 May 2003 | ITF Gunma, Japan | Grass | Aiko Nakamura | Kumiko Iijima Suchanun Viratprasert | 6-4, 5-7, 4-6 |
| Win | 17. | 21 June 2003 | ITF Incheon, South Korea | Hard | Wang I-ting | Kim Ye-on Lee Joo-hee | 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 |
| Win | 18. | 26 October 2003 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Ryoko Fuda | Shizu Katsumi Kim Hea-mi | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Loss | 19. | 3 July 2004 | ITF Incheon, South Korea | Hard | Remi Tezuka | Lee Jin-a Yoo Soo-mi | 2-6, 6-4, 4-6 |
| Win | 20. | 7 September 2004 | ITF Ibaraki, Japan | Hard | Remi Tezuka | Rika Fujiwara Shiho Hisamatsu | 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 |
| Loss | 21. | 19 September 2004 | ITF Kyoto, Japan | Carpet | Satomi Kinjo | Natasha Kersten Eriko Mizuno | 4-6, 6-4, 4-6 |
| Loss | 22. | 31 October 2004 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Akiko Yonemura | Kumiko Iijima Junri Namigata | 3-6, 1-6 |
| Win | 23. | 5 February 2005 | ITF Wellington, New Zealand | Hard | Chang Kyung-mi | Beti Sekulovski Aleksandra Srndovic | 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Win | 24. | 13 February 2005 | ITF Blenheim, New Zealand | Hard | Chang Kyung-mi | Beti Sekulovski Aleksandra Srndovic | 6-4, 7-6 |
| Win | 25. | 13 February 2005 | ITF Yamaguchi, Japan | Clay | Kumiko Iijima | Lisa D'Amelio Christina Horiatopoulos | 6-3, 7-6 |
| Loss | 26. | 11 June 2005 | ITF Seoul, South Korea | Hard | Lee Eun-jeong | Chan Chin-wei Hsieh Su-wei | 2-6, 1-6 |
| Win | 27. | 11 September 2005 | ITF Beijing, China | Hard | Kim So-jung | Chan Yung-jan Hwang I-hsuan | 6-4, 6-0 |
| Win | 28. | 30 October 2005 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Kim Hea-mi | Lauren Breadmore Annette Kolb | 6-4, 7-6 |
| Win | 29. | 6 November 2005 | ITF Sutama, Japan | Clay | Kumiko Iijima | Tomoko Dokei Yukiko Yabe | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Win | 30. | 16 July 2006 | ITF Miyazaki, Japan | Carpet | Kumiko Iijima | Seiko Okamoto Ayami Takase | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Loss | 31. | 10 September 2006 | ITF Kyoto, Japan | Carpet | Yukiko Yabe | Natsumi Hamamura Ayaka Maekawa | 4-6, 2-6 |
| Loss | 32. | 17 September 2006 | ITF Hiroshima, Japan | Carpet | Montinee Tangphong | Yuka Kuroda Eriko Mizuno | 1-6, 4-6 |
| Loss | 33. | 28 October 2006 | ITF Hamanako, Japan | Carpet | Seiko Okamoto | Chuang Chia-jung Hsieh Su-wei | 6-7(2), 5-7 |
| Win | 34. | 5 November 2006 | ITF Sutama, Japan | Clay | Seiko Okamoto | Ryoko Takemura Mari Tanaka | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Win | 35. | 4 November 2007 | ITF Kofu, Japan | Hard | Chang Kyung-mi | Ayaka Maekawa Varatchaya Wongteanchai | 5-7, 6-2, [10-7] |
| Win | 36. | 8 March 2008 | ITF Hamilton, New Zealand | Hard | Yurina Koshino | Alison Bai Emelyn Starr | 7-6(3), 7-6(2) |
| Loss | 37. | 6 September 2008 | ITF Tsukuba, Japan | Hard | Yurika Sema | Chan Chin-wei Hwang I-hsuan | 0-6, 4-6 |
| Loss | 38. | 20 September 2008 | ITF Kyoto, Japan | Carpet | Yurina Koshino | Ayumi Oka Varatchaya Wongteanchai | 7-5, 2-6, [2-10] |
| Loss | 39. | 27 March 2009 | ITF Kofu, Japan | Hard | Miki Miyamura | Shuko Aoyama Akari Inoue | 5-7, 6-3, [8-10] |
| Win | 40. | 1 May 2009 | ITF Bundaberg, Australia | Clay | Nicole Riner | Isabella Holland Sally Peers | 1-6, 6-4, 11-9 |
| Win | 41. | 1 May 2009 | ITF Ipswich, Australia | Clay | Olivia Rogowska | Tyra Calderwood Shannon Golds | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Loss | 42. | 14 June 2009 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Yurina Koshino | Ayumi Oka Mari Tanaka | 6-7(6), 0-6 |
| Win | 43. | 11 July 2009 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Carpet | Mari Tanaka | Kazusa Ito Tomoko Taira | 7-5, 3-6, [13-11] |
| Loss | 44. | 8 August 2009 | ITF Niigata, Japan | Carpet | Etsuko Kitazaki | Airi Hagimoto Maiko Inoue | 2-6, 2-6 |
| Win | 45. | 29 August 2009 | ITF Saitama, Japan | Hard | Mari Tanaka | Airi Hagimoto Maiko Inoue | 6-2, 6-4 |
| Win | 46. | 26 March 2010 | ITF Kofu, Japan | Hard | Seiko Okamoto | Shiho Hisamatsu Maiko Inoue | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Win | 47. | 11 July 2010 | ITF Tokyo, Japan | Carpet | Maiko Inoue | Airi Hagimoto Kaori Onishi | 6-2, 7-5 |
4.2. Other Tournament Results
Beyond the ITF Circuit, Maki Arai also made a significant mark in national competitions. In 2004, a notable year for her singles ranking, she reached the semifinals in the singles event and was a runner-up in the doubles event at the prestigious All Japan Tennis Championships.
5. Retirement
Maki Arai concluded her professional tennis career in 2010. After a decade on the professional circuit, she chose to step away from competitive play. The exact reasons for her retirement are not detailed in available sources, but her final competitive match on the ITF Circuit was a doubles win in Tokyo in July 2010.
6. Assessment and Legacy
Maki Arai's professional tennis career, spanning from 2000 to 2010, saw her become a formidable presence, particularly in doubles play on the ITF Circuit. Her 27 doubles titles underscore her proficiency and consistent performance in that discipline. Arai's notable height of 70 in (179 cm) was frequently cited as a key advantage in her game, allowing her to generate power and coverage on the court. Her achievements, including reaching the singles semifinals and doubles final at the 2004 All Japan Tennis Championships, demonstrate her capability to compete at a high level both internationally and within her home country. Her decade-long career contributed to the competitive landscape of Japanese tennis during her active years.