Jun Mizutani and Koki Niwa, who have been nominated to represent the Tokyo Olympics in table tennis, faced the final official domestic tournament before the Olympics, and Mizutani advanced to the quarterfinals, but Niwa was in the qualifying league. I was eliminated in.

Mizutani and Niwa, who have been appointed as representatives of the Tokyo Olympics, participated in the representative selection of the Asian Championships held in Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture.



The tournament is the last official match for the two before the Olympics.



Mizutani, 32, played against Teru Sora Matsushima, a 14-year-old second-year junior high school student, in the first match of the qualifying league.



Mizutani led until the end of the first game, but Matsushima overtook him and brought him to Deuce.



After leading 12 to 13, Mizutani scored points for 3 consecutive times with skillful serve and took this game 15 to 13.



From the second game onward, he put his forehand and serve into a tough course and won straight with a game count of 3-0.



Mizutani also won the second match of the qualifying league and the first round of the final tournament, and advanced to the quarterfinals on the 20th.



On the other hand, Niwa played against a second-year high school player in the first match of the qualifying league.



Niwa lost points 10 to 12 in the third game with a game count of 1: 1 and a mistake in the forehand from 10 to 10.



Niwa was also robbed of the 4th game and lost with a game count of 1 to 3.



Niwa, who lost the second game in a row, lost the qualifying league after losing two games in a row, which left him uneasy for the Olympics.

Mizutani "It's finished smoothly"

Jun Mizutani looked back on the three games on the 19th and said, "I was able to play smoothly without being confused by the game after a long absence. I think I was able to take the plunge even in a game with poor flow."



And for the Olympics, which is approaching about a month later, "Currently, the finish is 80%, and it is quite smooth enough to play without problems even if there is an Olympic next week. Show the best performance in the production. I want to go. "

Niwa "I feel a sense of crisis because I lost today"

Koki Niwa, who lost in two consecutive losses in the qualifying league, said, "I had a very strong feeling, but it didn't fit in with the play, and the result was disappointing. The cause of the defeat was that I made a mistake. "



On top of that, "I am very grateful as a player for holding the tournament in the absence of a match until the Olympics. It was a plus to find out that the ball that entered in practice did not enter because of the tension. I have to feel more nervous from practice, and I felt a sense of crisis because I lost today, so I want to spend one day carefully. " I was tightening.