Japan's Date to make singles return in Fukuoka

Japan's Kimiko Date returns the ball during her practice session after a news conference in Tokyo April 7, 2008.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's most successful tennis player Kimiko Date will play her first professional singles match in almost 12 years in the southern city of Fukuoka next month.

The 37-year-old, a former top five player who announced her return to the women's game earlier this week, has entered the May 6-11 Fukuoka International Women's tournament, organisers said.

Date, who reached a career-high ranking of fourth in 1995, has said she will initially play in smaller satellite tournaments before contemplating a full-scale return to the WTA Tour.

She abruptly quit the game in 1996 after reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon and the last eight at the Atlanta Olympics.

Date, who won seven WTA Tour singles titles, decided to attempt a comeback after beating former rivals Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova in an exhibition in Tokyo recently.