Jun Kato (加藤 純, Katō Jun, born 25 October 1980) is a former professional tennis player from Japan.
| Full name | Jun Kato |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | |
| Born | (1980-10-25) 25 October 1980 (age 41) Yokohama, Japan |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Prize money | $70,312 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 0–1 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 367 (28 July 2003) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 4–5 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 121 (3 May 2004) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | 1R (2004) |
Kato was based in Switzerland from an early age. During his junior career he was friends with Roger Federer and partnered with him in several doubles tournaments.[1][2] He beat Federer in a national under-12s final.[3]
Turning professional in 1998, Kato made his first appearance in an ATP Tour tournament that year, the doubles at the Swiss Open Gstaad with Marco Chiudinelli. He was twice given a wildcard entry into the men's doubles draw at the Japan Open, the first in 2002, when partnered with Gouichi Motomura to reach the quarter-finals. On the other occasion, in 2003, he and Satoshi Iwabuchi upset the top seeded pairing of Wayne Arthurs and Paul Hanley in the first round, en route to the semi-finals.[4]
In 2003 he won two Challenger doubles titles, on hard courts in Togliatti and Valladolid.[5][6]
Kato represented the Japan Davis Cup team in 2003, for a tie against India in New Delhi. He played the doubles rubber with Thomas Shimada, which they lost to Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes.[7] In the reverse singles he was beaten by Rohan Bopanna.[8]
He featured in the main draw of the men's doubles at the 2004 French Open, with Stephen Huss, for a first round exit, to Russians Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko.[9]
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2003 | Togliatti, Russia | Hard | 7–6(9–7), 6–4 | ||
| 2. | 2003 | Valladolid, Spain | Hard | 4–6, 6–0, 6–1 |