# 2001 AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships – Women's singles

Julie Halard-Decugis was the defending champion but did not compete this year, as she retired from professional tennis at the end of the 2000 season.
First-seeded Monica Seles won the title by defeating second-seeded Tamarine Tanasugarn 6–3, 6–2 in the final.

## Seeds

The top two seeds received a bye into the second round.
* Monica Seles (champion)
* Tamarine Tanasugarn (final)
* Ai Sugiyama (semifinals)
* Meilen Tu (first round)
* Marlene Weingärtner (second round)
* Rita Grande (quarterfinals)
* Nathalie Dechy (second round)
* Joannette Kruger (semifinals)

## Draw
### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Monica Seles | 7 | 6 | | | | |
| 3 | Ai Sugiyama | 5 | 4 | | | | |
| 3 | Ai Sugiyama | 5 | 4 | 1 | Monica Seles | 6 | 6 |
| | | | | 2 | Tamarine Tanasugarn | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | Joannette Kruger | 3 | 5 | 2 | Tamarine Tanasugarn | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Tamarine Tanasugarn | 6 | 7 | | | | |

### Top half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| | | | | | 1 | M Seles | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Molik | 4 | 7$^7$ | 5 | Q | Y-j Cho | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | Y-j Cho | 6 | 6$^3$ | 7 | | | | | | 1 | M Seles | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | R de los Ríos | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | 6 | R Grande | 1 | 2 | | | | |
| | B Schwartz | 6 | 6 | | | B Schwartz | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| | T Pisnik | 7 | 6$^3$ | 4 | 6 | R Grande | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | R Grande | 5 | 7$^7$ | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | M Seles | 7 | 6 |
| 3 | A Sugiyama | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | A Sugiyama | 5 | 4 |
| | Z Gubacsi | 4 | 1 | | 3 | A Sugiyama | 6 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | Ľ Cervanová | 4 | 2 | | | K Srebotnik | 2 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | K Srebotnik | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 3 | A Sugiyama | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | Y-j Choi | 6 | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | P Nola | 1 | 4 | | | | |
| | P Nola | 4 | 6 | 6 | | P Nola | 6 | 4 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | | |
| | R McQuillan | 1 | 4 | | 7 | N Dechy | 3 | 6 | 6$^5$ | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | N Dechy | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 8 | J Kruger | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Lee | 5 | 5 | | 8 | J Kruger | 4 | 6 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Pratt | 6 | 6 | | | N Pratt | 6 | 3 | 6$^3$ | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | R Fujiwara | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | 8 | J Kruger | 0 | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | S Asagoe | 6 | 6$^7$ | 4 | | | | | | | E Gagliardi | 6 | 4 | 1 | | | | |
| | W Prakusya | 3 | 7$^9$ | 6 | | W Prakusya | 3 | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| | E Gagliardi | 3 | 6 | 6 | | E Gagliardi | 6 | 1 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | M Tu | 6 | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | J Kruger | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | M Weingärtner | 3 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | T Tanasugarn | 6 | 7 |
| | E Dominikovic | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | M Weingärtner | 1 | 7 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | A Fusai | 3 | 2 | | WC | S Obata | 6 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | S Obata | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | WC | S Obata | 0 | 2 | | | | | |
| Q | M Saeki | 6 | 6$^3$ | 2 | | | | | | 2 | T Tanasugarn | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | J Craybas | 0 | 7$^7$ | 6 | | J Craybas | 4 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | T Tanasugarn | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |