TOKYO, Japan – Wichita State's Haru Inoue ended his sophomore season with a national singles ranking. Now he has his sights set on the world.
 
Last weekend in Tokyo, Inoue reached the semifinals of the Japan F7 Futures and earned valuable points on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit.
 
Inoue – previously No. 1,643 in the ITF Rankings – figures to climb thanks to victories over two players ranked among the world's top-700.
 
After winning consecutive qualifying matches, Inoue polished off Tomohiro Masabayashi (ITF No. 1749), Issei Okamura (695) and Naoki Nakagawa (611) in straight-sets.
 
The run ended in the semifinals with a loss to No. 472 Kento Takeuchi but still represents a major breakthrough for the 20-year old. Inoue's previous best in a Pro Circuit Futures event was a Round of 16 appearance at last summer's Wichita Tennis Open.
 
Earlier this month, Inoue (23-11) landed at No. 98 in the final Oracle/ITA Division I Rankings. No easy feat. It's the first time in 35 years that a WSU freshman or sophomore has finished in the national singles rankings. Inoue's 11 dual wins at No. 1 singles are the most by a Shocker underclassman since 1995.
 
Roberto Saad (ranked No. 36 in 1982) and Phil Cooper (12 wins atop the lineup in 1995) both went on to All-American careers and are members of the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame.
 
"I'm so proud of Haru for the year he has had, on and off the court," WSU head coach Danny Bryan said. "A national ranking, combined with a 4.0 GPA, is impressive and a great reward for all of the hard work that he has put in."
 
WSU (13-13 in dual matches) finished eighth in the final ITA Central Region Rankings, released June 7. Inoue was 11th among the 20 players listed on the singles chart, and the doubles tandem of Marius Frosa and Murkel Dellien checked in ninth.