■The Aoi magic that Aoi Ito has been showing through this tournament had faded into the background. What made this happen was the strong wind blowing on the center court. "It's very weak when you're downwind. I tried my best to hit a shallow slice or something, but I was surprised that it didn't go in 10 times as much as I had imagined. Upwind, I tried my best to hit as much as possible, but it didn't go in. It was amazing. “I was surprised that I was consistently off by about one ball,” Ito said with a wry smile.

■As you can see from her game and comments, she is a sensory person, but her foundation lies in her ability to think. Although she is good at thinking things through and competing with others, she says she is “quite vulnerable to external factors.” In addition to the wind, if the court is dimly lit, the magic quickly stops working. "It's difficult because no matter how hard you think about it, the ball doesn't go exactly as you planned. This is a challenge for the future," Ito said. The good progress from the qualifying rounds came to a halt in the semi-finals.

■However, making it to the top four gave her a lot of confidence. “I've played five matches in a row against players of this level, and today’s match is my sixth. I thought it would be difficult to continue playing against players of this level, but I gained confidence as well.” She is expected to rise to around 150th in the rankings to be announced on Monday. There is a good chance that she will be able to qualify for a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the Australian Open in January, and says, “I want to win even just a little bit and get some prize money.”

■”I don't really like traveling abroad, but if I have to make money, I think I need to do my best.” Her dream is to live happily in her old age. To that end she says, “I want to earn enough money for my future. I would be happy if I could regularly participate in Grand Slam tournaments.” It is hard to tell how serious she is when utters these words, but you can feel her determination to do her best just by watching her matches. "I try my best. I'm the type of person who does my best, but doesn't want to put in any effort." It is hard to wait for the debut of this rookie, whose playing style and lifestyle are beyond what is expected of an athlete.