Japan’s Watanabe Sets Sights On Top 10 As New PSA Season Approaches

Japanese No.1 Satomi Watanabe burst onto the PSA World Tour last season, putting together several impressive performances throughout the season to announce herself as a force to be reckoned with in the women’s game.

She became the first Japanese player ever to reach the quarter finals of a Platinum event at the Hong Kong Open and subsequently became the highest ranked Japanese player in January this year, eventually rising to a career-high ranking of World No.18. We caught up with the 24-year-old to talk about her season and aspirations for the upcoming campaign:

Q. How would you sum up your season?

Satomi: “I’d say my 22-23 season was absolutely unexpected. Although I was trying to get closer to the top, I never thought I could have done this well so fast. So I’m really happy with it.”

Q. You became the first Japanese player ever to reach the top 20 and the first to reach a Platinum quarter final – how proud are you of that?

Satomi: “I’m really happy with these results and I hope that all of these records can bring some hope and allow those trying to be professional squash players in Japan to aim higher.”

Q. You lost out in a tight match to Nele Gilis at both the Australian Open and Manchester Open – did you feel like they were good chances to claim a big win? How much do those tight matches inspire you for next season?

Satomi: “I felt I did have a chance to win the match against Nele when I played her at the Australia Open. But not so much at the Manchester Open, as she was more solid and it was hard to get a point from her. These two matches really taught me a lot of things and I learned where I need to get to for the next season.”

Q. What are your goals for next season?

Satomi: “My goal for next season is to be in the top 10. It will never be easy and I understand I need to be really consistent with my performances. So I hope I can keep learning and improve for the upcoming season!”

Q. What has your summer training looked like and how are you preparing for next season?

Satomi: “Last season ended around the end of June for me as I played the World Cup in India. So I had about two weeks break after that and since then I’ve been training back in Japan.

“I’ll have a little bit of family time and refresh, which is much needed for me to be able to compete again in the tough competitions. Once the season starts my University studying will also start, so I will be based in London again. Then I think I’ll be ready and looking forward to be back on tour.”