Japan narrowly defeated by China in women's team table tennis final

On Saturday, Japan settled for the silver medal in the women's division of the World Team Table Tennis Championships, narrowly missing out on upsetting China.

China, led by World No. 1 Sun Yingsha, secured a 3-2 victory, extending their remarkable streak of world team titles to six consecutive wins.

Despite commendable wins from Hina Hayata and Miu Hirano, giving Japan a 2-1 lead, China managed to stage a comeback at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre in South Korea.

In the fourth match, Sun dominated against Hayata with a score of 11-2, 11-7, 11-6, leveling the playing field. Then, World No. 3 Chen Meng secured China's 23rd overall title by defeating the young talent Miwa Harimoto with a score of 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.

Reflecting on the match, Hirano expressed, "This win boosts our confidence. Previously, losing to China seemed inevitable, but now we're more determined. We'll strive to avenge this loss at the Olympics."

For Japan, this was an opportunity to claim their first world team title in 53 years, but they settled for silver once again, marking the fifth consecutive time.

Hayata remarked, "I managed to overcome one obstacle in the final," referring to her victory over Chen in the second match. "Our ongoing battle against China is expected to be tough. I'll endeavor to overcome more challenges in the future."