藤原里華

Profile

藤原里華（ふじわら りか／Rika Fujiwara）は、1981年9月19日生まれの日本人元プロテニス選手・現ピックルボール選手。テニス時代にはWTAシングルス最高84位（2005年8月）、ダブルス最高13位（2002年11月）を記録した実力者。右利き。フェドカップ日本代表としても活躍し、通算23勝5敗の成績を残している。

Tennis career

At the 2002 Australian Open she paired with Shinobu Asagoe to reach the doubles quarterfinals. They lost to the team of Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova, but her performance at a Grand Slam drew attention. She thrived at the top level for many years as one of the leading players in Japanese tennis.

Pickleball career

After retiring from tennis she switched to pickleball and reached No. 44 in the world rankings. At her first US pro tournament she pulled off an upset over Salome Devidze. On the PPA Tour Asia she pairs with Nasa Hatakeyama in mixed doubles and thrives on the international stage. She is a PJF (Pickleball Federation of Japan) certified pro.

Play style

Her hallmark is play that makes use of the high-level skill and doubles experience built in tennis. She is especially well regarded for her reading and shot placement in doubles, and her WTA doubles No. 13 pedigree carries over into pickleball.

📎 Reference: Pickleball.com | Wikipedia | PJF