The Japan Women’s Open, played under the name Kinoshita Group Japan Open, is the WTA’s 250-level stop in Osaka and one of the last tournaments of the Asian swing. The 2026 edition runs from 19 to 25 October on outdoor hard courts, with a 32-player singles draw and 16 doubles teams, according to the WTA.
It is a different tournament from the men’s Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, the ATP 500 held at the start of October and covered in GTN’s Japan Open guide. The two events share a title sponsor and an official website, but not a city, a week or a tour.
Dates and schedule
The main draw runs from Monday 19 October to Sunday 25 October 2026. The official tournament site lists the event from 17 October, which covers qualifying. The WTA has scheduled the singles final for Sunday 25 October, not before 1:30 p.m., and the doubles final for Saturday 24 October, not before 3:30 p.m., after the singles semifinals. Both times are Japan Standard Time (GMT+9), which puts the singles final just after midnight on Sunday on the US East Coast.
Draw and points
The singles draw has 32 players and the doubles draw 16 teams. A full 32-player draw has no byes, so every seed starts in the first round. As a WTA 250 event, it awards 250 ranking points to the singles champion.
Venue
Matches are played at the Utsubo Tennis Center in Osaka, whose main stadium court holds 5,000 spectators, according to the WTA. The official tournament site uses the venue’s naming-rights title, Morita Tennis Center Utsubo.
History
The WTA describes the Osaka event as a women’s-only tournament since 2009. It returned to the tour as a 250 after a three-year hiatus, and the WTA’s list of recent champions runs from 2019 to 2023 with no edition in between.
Recent champions
- 2025 — Leylah Fernandez (Canada) d. Tereza Valentova 6-0, 5-7, 6-3
- 2024 — Suzan Lamens (Netherlands)
- 2023 — Ashlyn Krueger (United States)
- 2019 — Nao Hibino (Japan)
Fernandez’s 2025 title was the fifth of her career, according to the WTA.
Where it sits in the Asian swing
Osaka shares its week with the Ningbo Open, a WTA 500 in China, and follows the Wuhan Open, the WTA 1000 that runs from 12 to 18 October. The Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and the Guangzhou Open come a week later. For players still chasing a place at the WTA Finals, these late-October weeks are among the last chances to add points. GTN’s WTA Finals qualification explainer covers how the race works, and the Asian swing explainer covers the full stretch.
How to follow
Draws, the order of play and results are published on the WTA tournament page and on the official tournament site.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Japan Women’s Open in 2026?
The main draw runs from 19 to 25 October, with qualifying from 17 October.
Is it the same tournament as the Japan Open in Tokyo?
No. The Tokyo event is a men’s ATP 500 played earlier in October. Osaka is a women’s WTA 250. They share a sponsor and a website.
Who won in 2025?
Leylah Fernandez, who beat Tereza Valentova 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 in the final.
