The men’s and women’s Japanese table tennis teams, both silver medalists at the World Team Championships, returned from London on the 12th and held a press conference in Tokyo. Women’s team coach Ei Nakazawa, whose squad has earned silver for six consecutive tournaments, reflected: “We didn’t win gold, but the players fought with everything they had. Even in tough moments, they played true to themselves. I am proud of them. Moving forward, we will improve our technical and tactical precision and strive to win gold.”
In the final against China, who had won six straight titles, Nakazawa deployed Miwa Harimoto (17, Kinoshita Group) and Hina Hayata (25, Nippon Life) for two matches each, and Honoka Hashimoto (27, Denso) for one match. Although Harimoto and Hashimoto each won a point, Japan fell short 2-3. When asked whether there was a possibility of using cutter specialist Hashimoto for two matches, Nakazawa denied it, saying “No.”
The reason stemmed from the matchup against China’s third player, Kuai Man. Hayata had beaten Kuai at the Singapore Smash in February, but prior to that had lost three consecutive matches since October 2025. In contrast, Hashimoto had recorded 41 straight wins against foreign players through August 2025, and held a 2-0 record against Kuai, winning by wide margins of 4-1 and 4-0.
The coach assessed that China was highly likely to use Kuai in the third position, and considered past head-to-head records. “Looking at win rates, Hashimoto had a high winning percentage against Kuai. Winning the third match is very important for the team. We decided we absolutely had to take that point. If we used Hayata in the third position, her win rate against Kuai has been low,” he explained.
Regarding Hayata, who played two matches, Nakazawa noted her role as a mental pillar for the team. “Hayata lost two points, but after the Olympics, she was injured yet kept working on new things in practice. Her fighting spirit is something the team needs. Hayata’s role as a mentally strong player was crucial for the team,” he said, expressing his trust.
