WTT Contender Almaty 2025 Sep 2-7

[NextLevel]

A translation of an article from Yahoo Japan

2025/09/08: Table Tennis Powerhouse China Disappointed: Crushed by Japan's Women's Team—“What Was the Coach Thinking?” “They Had No Answer” Defensive Pair Takes Victory

Wow... looks like Tieba fans are everywhere lol:

The article also noted this. Online, disappointed fans voiced comments like: “Qian and Shi were swept aside by the Japanese pair like autumn leaves in the wind,” “Pathetic,” “Having both players as defensive specialists is indeed tough to handle,” “Scoring only 15 points in three games is terrible,” and “Chinese players keep losing to defensive specialists—what exactly are the coaches doing?”

 

[Catenaccio]

Below is a translation of another article from Yahoo Japan. The headline uses some hyperbole, but there is truth to it. Hashimoto's win rate at WTT level is 85.3% YTD (29 out of 34), second to SYS only. Maybe even more impressively, her win rate against Chinese players is an astonishing 83.3% YTD (10 out of 12 with one loss each to SYS and WMY).

2025/09/09: Japanese Players Keep Defeating China, the Table Tennis Powerhouse Local Media’s Serious Analysis Filled with Awe: “Is There Anyone Who Can Beat Them?”

 

[NextLevel]

Below is a translation of another article from Yahoo Japan. The headline uses some hyperbole, but there is truth to it. Hashimoto's win rate at WTT level is 85.3% YTD (29 out of 34), second to SYS only. Maybe even more impressively, her win rate against Chinese players is an astonishing 83.3% YTD (10 out of 12 with one loss each to SYS and WMY).

2025/09/09: Japanese Players Keep Defeating China, the Table Tennis Powerhouse Local Media’s Serious Analysis Filled with Awe: “Is There Anyone Who Can Beat Them?”

The sad part is that it's taking Honoka's initiative to get out what many people could see should have been executed upon at least last year after the WTT finals. The good part is that something is happening, hoping it will yield fruit for LA 2028.

 

[Catenaccio]

Below are some of the "top" comments (recommended order, probably based on likes/engagement) from Yahoo Japan users in response to an article about Hashimoto's win in Almaty. Translated by Google Translate.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/b127fc8b42b167a40095cc2e5a8b37345d4fe342/comments

It's difficult to distinguish between hitting a knuckleball and a backspin, but then there's the sidespin push. If you time the sidespin, an attack will follow. It's hard enough just to raise the backspin and go for it yourself without dropping the knuckleball, but you have to be careful not to overshoot the sidespin. If you get into trouble and go for a push, you'll get hit, or you'll get a push with a big change of pace and be left helpless. It's fun to watch the Chinese players fall into Hashimoto's traps. Good luck, Hashimoto!

Cutmen in the age of powerful shots...Cutmen have existed for a long time, but this is an evolved cutman style, where the Chinese players want to wear down Hashimoto, but instead find themselves being worn down, which leads to frustration and stamina building up, and when their returns become weaker, they are hit with powerful shots. It's simple, if you like that. However, China is also studying it, so I hope Hashimoto will continue to perfect his new super cutman style with even more tenacity.

As anyone who plays table tennis at a moderate level will know, Honoka Hashimoto has a wider range of skills than the average cut player, and her tactical approach has allowed her to repeatedly come back from behind in close games to win. This success is likely due in large part to the fact that around 2021 (?), she switched from a standard high-grain rubber to a flexible rubber (a rubber with characteristics somewhere between high-grain and soft rubber) on the backhand side of her racket, which matches her current playing style. When attacking with her backhand or stopping the ball, Hashimoto often makes a split-second decision during a rally to flip her racket. While flipping a different rubber can often lead to points, it is also extremely difficult to master, and I believe her current success is due to the incredible amount of practice she puts in.

Her footwork is amazing, both forward and backward, and her racket rotation is smooth when attacking. It's not a strategy that anyone can replicate. Speaking of Japanese female cut players, Sato was always the image of her, but it seems she has suddenly risen to the top. However, I think it will be extremely difficult to surpass Sun, who was able to master her moves throughout the match. [OP refers to the match in Yokohama when SYS beat Hashimoto 3-1]

When I think of cut players, I think of Sato Hitomi, but now it's become completely synonymous with Hashimoto. I think she's doing an amazing job. As the article says, her style is defensive and difficult to beat, but she must have come up with a cut player style that combines offense and defense in order to win. China will surely study her, but I hope she will continue to evolve and beat Sun.

 

[tzifos]

Sato used also the half-long DoKnuckle last year, but now uses long pips. That is very strange for her to go back to long as the half-long pimples work wonders in Hashimoto's hand; that fast side-spin/a-bit-of-downspin push she does with DoKnuckle pips rubber raising her hand during push gave a LOT of problems to the opponents. Long pips doesn't have the ability to imitate this ball with such success. Not only that, Hashimoto's BH chop can vary very much, from very heavy under spin to almost-no-spin ball that confuse opponents.

Ma Te, Hou Yingchao and Joo Saek Hyuk say (in various interviews) that the future defenders, after all these changes in ball size, material and with the tensor rubbers, should use short pips, but I still believe that half long pips in the right hands is the way to go. At least for women games. Hashimoto is the living proof at the moment; half-long gives her a lot of weapons in her arsenal.