On the final day of the World Table Tennis Champions Yokohama tournament, Miwa Harimoto and Tomokazu Harimoto demonstrated their all-around excellence in their chosen sport.
The Sendai-born siblings won the women’s and men’s singles competitions, respectively, on Sunday, August 9.
At Yokohama Buntai, top-seeded Miwa Harimoto, 18, outplayed China’s third-seeded Xingtong Chen in the women’s final, winning 4-2 (13-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 1-11, 11-7).
It was Harimoto’s second WTT Champions event title of 2026. In mid-March, she prevailed in a seven-set duel against Chinese opponent Man Kuai in Chongqing, China, in the final.
On Sunday, in the men’s championship match, Tomokazu Harimoto defeated unseeded South Korean Jun Sung Oh 4-1 (7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7). The 23-year-old also won this tournament in 2025.
“As for the difficulty of the match, it was certainly more difficult compared to last year, and there was also the pressure of being a champion once again,” Harimoto said after defeating Oh.
“But when I think about the value of this victory, it’s not just my own achievement ― Miwa and I both won here.”
Tomokazu Harimoto in action on the final day of the World Table Tennis Champions Yokohama tournament. (©WORLD TABLE TENNIS)
Staying Strong in the Table Tennis Tournament
World No 5 Tomokazu Harimoto paid tribute to his younger sister after his first World Table Tennis Champions title of the year.
“It was a really good final,” he said, according to Kyodo News. “I received power from my sister from the first round on my way to the top.”
Harimoto defeated Australia’s Nicholas Lum, China’s Peng Xiang and France’s Alexis Lebrun in succession to reach the semifinals.
In the penultimate round, Harimoto conquered top-seeded Sora Matsushima 4-2 (11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 15-17, 11-5, 11-9) to advance to the final.
The Yokohama event began on August 4.
Miwa Harimoto competes in the women’s singles final at Yokohama Buntai. (©WORLD TABLE TENNIS)
Miwa Harimoto’s Path to Victory
Before meeting Chen in the women’s final, Miwa Harimoto recorded five-game victories over Honoka Hashimoto and China’s Yi Chen, followed by a dominant triumph over South Korea’s Yubin Shin in the quarterfinals.
Then, in the semifinals, Harimoto beat No 4 seed Yidi Wang of China 4-2 (4-11, 12-10, 12-10, 14-12, 8-11, 11-6).
RELATED:
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
Continue Reading