Table tennis: Japan women beat powerhouse China in Asian team final

ASTANA (Kyodo) — Japan won the women’s team title at the Asian table tennis championships for the first time since 2021 Wednesday by beating China 3-1 in the final.

Miwa Harimoto, ranked seventh in the world, won both her matches against higher-ranked opponents as the women’s team captured an Asian championship in which China took part for the first time since 1974.

The 16-year-old Harimoto defeated world No. 4 Wang Yidi 3-2 in the first match, before China’s world No. 1 Sun Yingsha evened the tie by beating ninth-ranked Mima Ito 3-0.

Miu Hirano put Japan on the verge of victory with a 3-1 win over sixth-ranked Chen Xingtong, before Harimoto sealed the deal with a 3-2 victory over Sun.