The Open Era
Japan · born Nishinomiya, 1951 · Wimbledon doubles champion 1975 with Ann Kiyomura, the first Japanese woman to win a Wimbledon title
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1969
Wimbledon girls' singles champion
1975
Wimbledon doubles champion with Ann Kiyomura, unseeded
1st
Japanese woman to win a Wimbledon title
28
Years until the next Japanese champion at Wimbledon, Ai Sugiyama in 2003
16
Her age when she won the All Japan Championships singles, the youngest winner
Born in Nishinomiya in 1951, Sawamatsu won the All Japan Championships singles at 16, the youngest player to do so, and in 1969 won the girls' singles at both the French Championships and Wimbledon. Her sister Junko also played, and her niece, Naoko Sawamatsu, later played on the tour.
On the senior circuit she reached the Australian Open semi-finals in 1973 and, in 1975, the quarter-finals of the Australian, French and US Opens. That summer she and Ann Kiyomura, whom she had met in the locker room at the 1974 US Open, won the Wimbledon doubles unseeded. In November 1975 she beat Kiyomura in three sets for the singles title at the Japan Open, and they won the doubles together. She retired at the end of that year.
| Wimbledon 1969 | Won the girls' singles, beating B. I. Kirk of South Africa 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 |
|---|---|
| Eastbourne 1975 | Lost in the first round with Kiyomura the week before Wimbledon |
| Wimbledon 1975 final | Unseeded with Kiyomura, beat Françoise Durr and Betty Stove 7-5, 1-6, 7-5; the Duchess of Kent presented the trophy |
| Racket | The Compendium's list of rackets used by champions records hers in 1975 as a Kawasaki |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Women's doubles | with Ann Kiyomura |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
The person behind the player.
US Open, 1974
Sawamatsu and Ann Kiyomura first met in the locker room at the 1974 US Open. "We had always wanted to meet each other," Kiyomura said. "We hit it off right away." Sawamatsu was several inches taller and played more from the baseline.
Source: Tennis.comEastbourne, 1975
They lost in the first round at Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon. "We figured maybe we'll do better at Wimbledon," Kiyomura recalled. They won it, unseeded.
Source: Tennis.com5 July 1975
The win, when Sawamatsu was 24, put a Japanese woman's name on the Wimbledon trophy for the first time. Japan waited 28 years for its next Wimbledon champion, Ai Sugiyama.
Source: Number (Bungeishunju)After 1975
Sawamatsu retired at the end of 1975, which ended the partnership. For many years afterwards Kiyomura travelled to Japan to play exhibition matches with her.
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