The men's and women's singles finals were held on the 28th at the All Japan Championship to determine the best table tennis player in Japan, with Tomokazu Harimoto winning the men's championship for the second time in six years, and Hina Hayata winning the women's championship for the third time in a row. .
table of contents
Men's singles Tomokazu Harimoto wins second championship in six years
Tomokazu Harimoto “I can’t speak anymore”
Hina Hayata wins the women's singles tournament for the third time in a row
Hina Hayata “I feel so relieved”
Open table of contents
table of contents
table of contents
Men's singles Tomokazu Harimoto wins second championship in six years
Tomokazu Harimoto “I can’t speak anymore”
Hina Hayata wins the women's singles tournament for the third time in a row
Hina Hayata “I feel so relieved”
Men's singles Tomokazu Harimoto wins second championship in six years
The All Japan Table Tennis Championships held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, reached its final day on the 28th, with the men's and women's singles finals taking place.
The men's final was the same matchup as last year between Harimoto and Shunsuke Togami, who are both guaranteed to be on the men's singles team at the Paris Olympics.
Harimoto struggled against Togami's various serves and powerful shots, and was forced into a 1-3 game.
Still, in the 5th game, he hit a strong backhand that he is good at and won 11-9, and in the 6th game, even though Togami took match points many times, he won the decisive rally and won 14-12. I took it and caught up with the game count 3-3.
The 7th and final game was a fierce battle with both sides fighting and deucing, but Harimoto won 16 to 14, making him the youngest player in history to win this tournament at the age of 14 with a game count of 4 to 3. This is the second victory in six years since 2018.
At the moment of winning, Harimoto slowly crouched down with a dazed expression on his face, then hugged Togami and praised each other for their good fight.
Tomokazu Harimoto “I can’t speak anymore”
Tomokazu Harimoto, who won his second championship in six years, said, ``I'm speechless. I forgot how to win the All-Japan Championship, so much so that I thought it was my first victory.I feel like I won 100 times more than I did when I first won. "Yes, my legs were cramping up, but in the last two points, they came to a stop and I thought God was telling me to win," he said, looking back on the close match in the final.
Then, regarding his opponent, Shunsuke Togami, he said, ``Togami was perfect and no matter what he did, it didn't work and it was tough. He and I are really equal and rivals. For the remaining six months, I want to push forward to the Olympics as friends.'' We talked and changed our minds for the Paris Olympics.
Shunsuke Togami "I was able to stick to my style until the end"
Shunsuke Togami, who lost his third consecutive tournament title and came second, said, ``I realized once again that the All Japan tournament is a special tournament that everyone strives for.There were times when the opponent came at me, but I had to fight back to avoid losing. "I was able to play with a lot of heart. I was anxious and nervous, but I stuck to my style until the end," he said.
Regarding the final against Harimoto, he said, ``Harimoto was originally a person above the clouds, but now we are both comrades and rivals who are representing Japan, and they are special beings.I will never forget being able to compete like this in the final of the Olympic year, and I will definitely do my best next time. I want to win.''
Regarding the Paris Olympics, where he has secured a spot on the men's singles team, he says, ``I think the difference in table tennis strength between me two years ago, when I won my first championship at this tournament, and my current table tennis strength is obvious, and I can really feel the growth. "I want to do my best and aim for gold in both singles and team competitions."
Hina Hayata wins the women's singles tournament for the third time in a row
In the women's final, Hayata, who has secured a spot on the women's singles team at the Paris Olympics, faced off against 15-year-old Miwa Harimoto, who is aiming to become the youngest women's champion in history.
Although Hayata was leading 5-9 in the first game, he used slow shots and his specialty forehand to score six points in a row to come back and take the game 11-9.
After that, Hayata took control of the match and showed off a variety of techniques, including her unique spinning receive "Chiquita", winning the game 4-0 in straight sets and winning for the third time in a row. fulfilled.
Hayata played six games in this tournament, and her opponent only lost one game, showing overwhelming strength as Japan's ace.
Hina Hayata “I feel so relieved”
Hina Hayata, who won the tournament for the second consecutive time in women's singles, said, ``I'm really relieved right now.I lost to Harimoto last November, and I thought I was going to lose the first game today.One shot at a time. , I was only thinking about what was in front of me because it was going to be a one-ball, one-ball game.A lot of players try to come up with strategies to beat me, but I think my ability to respond to those challenges was high in this tournament. ” I looked back.
He added, ``It's cold outside in Tokyo, but I'm glad you were able to watch a passionate game.I came here with the goal of winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and the next six months will be important, so I'd like to ask for your continued support and support.'' I was talking.