Who is Hina Inoue, Victoria Azarenka’s Opponent at US Open 2025? All About the Young American’s Journey

If one had to make a list of surprises that we’ve seen till now, Hina Inoue’s US Open qualification would certainly be a part of it. The 22-year-old defeated Brazil’s Lucrezia Stefanini in a thrilling contest to qualify for the US Open. Now, as Inoue prepares to face off against Victoria Azarenka, many questions are being asked about her. So it’s probably time to answer a few of them.

Your 2025 Americans slated for the US Open women's singles main draw🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/dMBzNHmC0U
— USTA (@usta) August 22, 2025

Who is Hina Inoue?

Born on June 1, 2003, Hina Inoue has been a player who has remained in the shadows for most of her career. Though it is unknown where Inoue was born, she’ll be representing America in the US Open. Interestingly, the 2025 event is the first Grand Slam that Inoue has qualified for. Before this, she lost in the first qualifier of both the French Open and Wimbledon. However, while Inoue is a relative newcomer on the WTA tour, she has been a staple in the ITF events.

Hina Inoue, the US Open main draw is where you belong! pic.twitter.com/7xtPFUlOsZ
— USTA (@usta) August 22, 2025

Hina Inoue Career & Coach

Even though Hina Inoue is just starting her WTA journey, she has had quite an extensive tennis career. Inoue has won 8 ITF Circuit event titles and was a runner-up in 4 other events. Inoue has recently fallen to World No. 221 after peaking at 201 in July. However, these numbers could be a bit deceiving, as some of her gameplay mechanics are rather fluid. Inoue is especially known for her strong serving style.

However, Inoue still has some holes in her game. They were made visible during the qualifiers when she lost her 5-love lead against Lucrezia Stefanini. While Inoue ended up winning that match, it wasn’t a great sign for her. That’s something that her coach Jennifer Elie (who trains with Inoue in the Bradenton Tennis Club in Florida) will have to work on before the US Open.

Hina Inoue Parents & Family

There is no publicly available information about Hina Inoue’s family.

Certainly, the temperatures will be high as Hina Inoue gets ready for her first-ever Grand Slam appearance. She certainly knows the road won’t be easy, especially after the tough qualifiers that may have taught Inoue a few valuable lessons ahead of her clash with Victoria Azarenka. Could Inoue turn her debut into something memorable? Just a few hours before the answer is out.

Hina Inoue

Tennis

US Open 2025

Victoria Azarenka

WTA

Sanskar Dubey

A passionate sports fan since childhood, it was always my dream to cover the peak of human potential. Baseball, Tennis, and Football (or Soccer) have been closest to my heart. From Rafael Nadal’s never-say-die attitude to Roger Federer’s beautiful backhand, I’ve seen it all. Prior to the Playoffs, I’ve worked in EssentiallySports and Pro Football and Sports Network.