Shuko Aoyama

Career

Aoyama began her ITF Women's Circuit career in the doubles event at Gifu in 2007. Her first ITF title came in March 2009 at the $10k Kōfu doubles event, and she won her first singles ITF title in Tokyo in June 2010. In October 2010, she debuted in WTA Tour qualifying singles and main draw doubles at the Japan Women's Open, reaching her first WTA Tour final in doubles. Later that November, she won the $75k Toyota doubles event.

She made her WTA Tour singles debut in June 2011 at the Birmingham Classic as a qualifier, and her major debut in doubles at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. Her first career doubles title came at the 2012 Washington Open, and she also won the $100k Ningbo Challenger in September 2012, along with two $50k events that season. In 2013, she reached the Shenzhen Open semifinal in January, won her first major match at the Australian Open, and claimed the Malaysian Open with Chang Kai-chen in March.

She reached the semifinals at the Rosmalen Championships and then at Wimbledon with Chanelle Scheepers, losing to Hsieh Su-wei and Peng Shuai. She won the Washington Open for the second consecutive year in September and ended the year with semifinals at the Korea Open and a win at the Toyota World Challenge. The following three seasons were less successful; in 2014 her only notable singles result was a final at the Toyota World Challenge, while in doubles she won the Washington Open for a third straight year and later the Japan Women's Open in October.