At the World Team Table Tennis Championships on Saturday, Japan came close to defeating China to win the women's silver medal.
World No. 1 Sun Yingsha won both matches, giving China a 3-2 victory and extending the world team's winning streak to six.
Hina Hayata and Miu Hirano scored wins to give Japan a 2-1 lead and create a chance for a shock result at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in South Korea.
Japan's Hina Hayata (right) plays against China's Sun Yingsha in the fourth match of the Women's Table Tennis World Team Championship to be held in Busan, South Korea on February 24, 2024 (Kyodo News)
However, Son defeated Hayata 11-2, 11-7, 11-6 in the fourth match, and then world No. 3 Chen Meng defeated 15-year-old genius Miwa Harimoto 4-11, 11 to defeat China's It was his 23rd overall victory. 7, 11-8, 11-7.
“This really gives me confidence,” Hirano said of his win over world No. 2 Wang Yidi. “I thought it was inevitable that we would lose to China, but this is the first time I've felt so disappointed. I want to do my best to earn revenge at the Olympics.”
Japan was aiming for its first world team title in 53 years, but ultimately won the silver medal for the fifth consecutive year.
Hayata said of his victory over Chen in the second match, “I was able to overcome a wall in the final.'' “The tough battle with China is expected to continue. I want to do my best to overcome further obstacles.”
Japan's Miwa Harimoto reacts after losing one point to China's Chen Meng in the fifth match of the Women's Table Tennis World Team Championship held in Busan, South Korea on February 24, 2024. (Kyodo News)
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