James Watt (tennis)

James Watt
Country (sports) New Zealand
Born (2000-06-09) 9 June 2000
Height2.09 m (6 ft 10 in)
PlaysRight-handed, two handed backhand
CollegeSaint Mary's College of California
Prize money$68,864
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 569 (8 September 2025)
Current rankingNo. 691 (24 November 2025)
Doubles
Career record0-1
Highest rankingNo. 87 (24 November 2025)
Current rankingNo. 87 (24 November 2025)
Team competitions
Last updated on: 24 November 2025.

James Watt (born 9 June 2000) is a New Zealand tennis player.[1]

He has a career high singles ranking of No. 569 achieved on 8 September 2025 and a career high doubles ranking of No. 87 achieved on 24 November 2025.[2]

James was educated at Timaru Boys' High School.[3] He attended Saint Mary's College of California in the United States.[4]

Career

In July 2023, playing alongside compatriot Isaac Becroft, he won the men's doubles title at the Caloundra International (M15) event on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.[5]

In September 2024, he lost in the final of the singles at the Darwin Tennis International in Darwin, Australia going three sets against Omar Jasika, a player ranked over 1100 places higher than him in the rankings.[6] In October 2024, he won the doubles $25,000 ITF tournament in Cairns, Australia alongside Matt Hulme.[7][8]

In January 2025, he was awarded a wildcard into the main draw of the men's doubles at the 2025 ASB Classic in Auckland, alongside Marcus Daniell where they were drawn against Roberto Carballes Baena and Luciano Darderi in the first round.[9] In June, playing alongside Finn Reynolds, he won his first doubles Challenger title in Tyler, Texas, defeating Alex Martinez and Adrià Soriano Barrera in the final in straight sets.[10]

ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals

Doubles: 8 (8–6)

Legend
ATP Challenger (5–6)
ITF Futures (3–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (8–6)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Sep 2024 M25 Cairns, Australia World Tennis Tour Hard Australia Matt Hulme Australia Joshua Charlton
Australia Blake Ellis
6–3, 6–7(5–7), [10–7]
Loss 1–1 Feb 2025 Brisbane, Australia Challenger Hard Australia Matt Hulme Australia Joshua Charlton
Australia Patrick Harper
6–4, 6–7(5–7), [10–12]
Win 2–1 Feb 2025 M25 Burnie, Australia World Tennis Tour Hard Australia Matt Hulme Chinese Taipei Hsu Yu-hsiou
Chinese Taipei Huang Tsung-hao
6–2, 6–4
Win 3–1 Mar 2025 M25 Mildura, Australia World Tennis Tour Hard Australia Matt Hulme Australia Joshua Charlton
New Zealand Ajeet Rai
6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–1), [13–11]
Loss 3–2 Mar 2025 Cuernavaca, Mexico Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds Antigua and Barbuda Jody Maginley
United States Alfredo Perez
5–7, 7–6(7–5), [8–10]
Loss 3–3 Apr 2025 Ostrava, Czech Republic Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds Czech Republic Jan Jermář
Serbia Stefan Latinović
5–7, 3–6
Win 4–3 Jun 2025 Tyler, United States Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds Spain Àlex Martínez
Colombia Adrià Soriano Barrera
6–3, 6–1
Win 5–3 Jun 2025 Cary, United States Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds Australia Patrick Harper
United States Trey Hilderbrand
6–3, 6–7(2–7), [10–5]
Win 6–3 Jun 2025 Granby, Canada Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds Australia Kody Pearson
Japan Yuta Shimizu
6–3, 6–4
Loss 6–4 Sep 2025 Las Vegas, United States Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds United States Benjamin Kittay
United States Joshua Sheehy
5–7, 6–7(2–7)
Win 7–4 Sep 2025 Tiburon, United States Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds United States Benjamin Kittay
United States Joshua Sheehy
6–2, 6–3
Win 8–4 Oct 2025 Jinan, China Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds India Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli
India Arjun Kadhe
7–5, 7–6(7–1)
Loss 8–5 Oct 2025 Shenzhen, China Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds United States Nathaniel Lammons
Netherlands Jean-Julien Rojer
7–6(7–5), 5–7, [4–10]
Loss 8–6 Nov 2025 Matsuyama, Japan Challenger Hard New Zealand Finn Reynolds Switzerland Marc-Andrea Hüsler
United States Garrett Johns
3–6, 4–6

References

  1. ^ "First pro tennis win for former Timaru player". Stuff. 11 August 2023.
  2. ^ "James Watt". ATP. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ^ "First pro tennis win for former Timaru player". Timaru Herald. 11 August 2023.
  4. ^ "James Watt Repeats as UCSB Champion". smcgaels. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Becroft and Watt win their first pro title". Tennis.Kiwi. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  6. ^ "James Watt pushes player ranked 1100 places higher in final". Tennis.Kiwi. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Cashmere, Elmwood to reignite tennis rivalry for interclub opener". Otago Daily Times. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  8. ^ "THE STAGE IS SET FOR THRILLING CAIRNS PRO TOUR FINALS". Tennis.com.au. 5 October 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  9. ^ "A tennis career ends, but a new chapter begins". Tennis.Kiwi. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Reynolds, Watt claim Challenger title in Texas, reach career-high rankings". Tennis.Kiwi. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.