JTTA Selection Trial for ATTC 2026 and WTTC Continental Stage 2027, 5/26-27

[zeio]

WTT SCT London 2025.

【インタビュー】初戦突破の松島・張本ペア ロンドン開催に「ご飯は美味しい。会場の雰囲気もすごくいい」｜WTTスターコンテンダーロンドン2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElzisaqR9wk

【インタビュー】みまひなに敗れるも 初のコンビに張本美和「すごく楽しかった」橋本帆乃香「チャンスがあったらまた組みたい」｜WTTスターコンテンダーロンドン2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdGSzRSvBYU

---

Harimoto and Hashimoto walking back to Nakazawa and Harimoto Yu who were having a talk... That's quite telling of the current divide.

https://weibo.com/7695188431/QawLcmZz8
阿比努力记录爪痕
25-10-24 02:01
发布于 英国
来自 iPhone 15 Pro Max
[#张本美和[超话]#] 张本美和超话
10.23 女双R16 赛后
像素小咪说晕就晕😵‍💫 [http://t.cn/AXwlFscj] 阿比努力记录爪痕的微博视频

 

[zeio]

The current JPN WT.

 

[zeio]

WTT SCT London 2025
WS R32
Zeng Jian 3-2 Ito (-6, 10, -5, 12, 9)
G5 54 TO for Ito, 64, 69, 119

无人在意的角落，伊藤一轮游 (In the corner that no one cares about, Ito is eliminated in first round)
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/10154549053
arthur237 决胜局9：6领先被翻盘
IP属地:山东来自Android客户端1楼2025-10-24 20:20回复
(Led 9:6 in the final game and got reversed)

法策是s 没教练，自己的旧东西在退步，又没有新东西拿出来
IP属地:北京2楼2025-10-24 20:23回复
(Without a coach, her old stuff is regressing and yet she has nothing new to offer)

更何况分到一个摩洛哥 好好好，香香有机会了美和神风起码不是不能打
IP属地:上海来自iPhone客户端3楼2025-10-24 20:25回复
(Good, good, good, Xiangxiang [Honoka] has a chance. At least Miwa and Kamikaze are not unplayable)

 

[zeio]

Kihara on her transfer from Kinoshita Abyell to Top Nagoya.

【ＴリーグＮＥＷＳ】木原美悠「自分を変えたい気持ちがあった」　参戦８季目で初の移籍…トップ名古屋で心機一転
https://hochi.news/articles/20251024-OHT1T51101.html?page=1

 

[zeio]

【卓球】張本美和、カットマン橋本帆乃香の異色ペアは伊藤美誠、早田ひな組に２―３で惜敗…ＷＴＴスターコンテンダー・ロンドン
https://hochi.news/articles/20251024-OHT1T51084.html?page=1
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/cc5b517088c51d5111fedacc022d645d4f335d5f/comments?page=1
yad********
6時間前
伊藤選手はここ数年、ミスが増える試合ばかりですが、カットマンには絶えられる選手です。
早田選手もシングルスでは波がありますが、みまひなになると強いですね。
張本選手＆橋本選手の貴重な組み合わせは、もっと見たかったですよね。
みまひなペアはペア歴も長く、孫穎莎選手＆王曼昱選手との対戦経験などにて、粘りの実力を身に付けているのも勝敗を分けたのだと思います。
張本選手は、男女全く違ったタイプの選手とペアを組み、試合回数や疲労も多く大変だと思いますが、どなたとでもペアを組んで乗り越えられるのが、本当に素晴らしいと思いますね。
また張本選手＆橋本選手とのリベンジダブルスは、見せて頂きたいです。
お疲れ様でした。
(Ito has been making more and more mistakes in recent years, but she is a player who can withstand choppers.
Hayata also has her ups and downs in singles, but she is strong in the MimaHina pairing.
I would have liked to see more of the rare combination of player Harimoto & player Hashimoto.
The MimaHina pair have a long history together, and I think their tenacity, gained from experiences such as playing against player SYS & player WMY, was what made the difference between victory and defeat.
For player Harimoto, being paired with completely different types of players, both male and female, must have been tough with the number of matches and the fatigue, but I think it's truly amazing that she can pair with anyone and overcome them.
I would love to see a revenge doubles match with player Harimoto & player Hashimoto again.
Thank you for your hard work.)
38 concur, 3 ic, 10 hmm

＊＊＊＊H SK s＊＊＊＊＊s＊＊
11時間前
せっかく面白いペアなのに、カットに弱いといわれるヨーロッパの強豪と当たることもないままに、お互いを知り尽くしていて、カット打ちに定評のあるよく組んでる日本ペアとあたっては、どのくらい通用するかもコンビの資料集めもできなかったで終わっちゃいましたね。団体戦での組み合わせなども考えるうえでのテストなら、も一度やってみる必要があるのではないでしょうか？
(Despite being such an interesting pair, they never got to face a strong European opponent who is said to be weak against choppers, and when they faced a Japanese pair who know each other inside and out and are well-known for playing choppers, they weren't even able to gather any information on the pairing to see how well they would perform. If it's a test to consider pairings for team matches, surely they should try it again?)
136 concur, 4 ic, 30 hmm

yac********
10時間前
中国選手には勝てないのに日本選手には勝つのね
(They can't beat Chinese players, but they beat Japanese players)
40 concur, 2 ic, 79 hmm

 

[zeio]

Ito/Hayata on 3-2 Harimoto/Hashimoto.

黄金世代ペア復活！みまひな「予選から戦えて良かった」第1シード張本・橋本組との日本勢対決を制してベスト8進出【卓球 WTTロンドン】
https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/tabletennis/news/2025/10/040584.html

試合後、2人はそろってインタビューに応じ、久々のペアとしての手応えや試合内容を振り返った。

伊藤は「予選から勝ち上がるのは本当に新鮮な感じです」と笑顔を見せ、「シングルスもあって、予選というものを何年ぶりにしたんだろうというくらい。でも逆に予選からできて良かったのかなと思います。早めに練習もできたし、いろんなテーブルで練習できたので。トーナメントの1回戦も優勝候補との対戦でしたが、こちらは（予選で）試合をしてきた分、それが絶対に得だったと思います」と語った。

3ゲーム目を落とした後、4ゲーム目をギリギリで奪い返し、最終第5ゲームでは圧巻のプレーで勝利を収めた試合を振り返り、早田は「終始私がミスをして足を引っ張ってしまった部分もありましたが、それでもこれまでの経験や、苦しい時に乗り越える力がついてきたなと感じました」と話した。

「自分たちが苦しい中を抜け出せたからこそ、5ゲーム目はああいう展開にできたと思います。相手も私たちの対策はできなかったと思いますし、私たち自身もやってみないとわからない部分が多かった。でも、2人で話し合って乗り越えられたことが大きかったです」と手応えを語った。

再びペアを組んでの現在の仕上がりについて問われると、早田は「何年組んでいても常に『楽しい』と思える。その楽しさは私たちが絶対に忘れてはいけないこと。楽しさの中で難しい試合を打破していくのが私たちの強みでもあると思うので、明日以降も自信を持って、勝つことが楽しいと思えるプレーをしたいです」と意気込んだ。

伊藤も「大きな大会に出たいという目標から、このスターコンテンダーに出ています」と話し、「私は早田選手としか組んでいないのでポイントは全くないんですけど、こうやってパッと組んでも結果を出せる自分たちはすごいなと正直思います。それは早田選手とだからこそで、2人じゃないとそうは思わない」と笑顔を見せた。

「コツコツと自分たちの力も世界ランキングのポイントも上げていくのが一番の目標。でもそこまで意識しすぎず、自然と結果でついてくるものだと思うので、今大会は2人で楽しんで、もちろん優勝を狙って頑張りたいです」と締めくくった。

【インタビュー】みまひなペア「予選は初めて」張本・橋本との日本勢対決を制してベスト8進出｜WTTスターコンテンダーロンドン2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7LcfapJEWA

 

[zeio]

覃雨萱纵歌曼爆冷战胜早田伊藤 (Qin Yuxuan/Zong Geman upsets Hayata/Ito)
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/10155355054
慢嗨梁祝 他们是不是遇到国乒自动降档啊。。。
IP属地:河北来自Android客户端3楼2025-10-25 03:57收起回复
(Do they automatically downgrade whenever they encounter the CNT...)
tan45°选手: 有这个可能吧，照理说她俩实力在覃纵之上的。不过我觉得早田今年外战一直打得一般，伊藤今天刚输曾尖，反正状态都不怎么好。
2025-10-25 04:00回复
(That's possible. Logically, they're both stronger than Qin/Zong. But I think Hayata's foreign wars have been mediocre this year, and Ito just lost to Zeng Jian today. Anyway, their form isn't very good.)
慢嗨梁祝: 回复 tan45°选手 :难评。。已经四次了，前脚赢美和后脚输国乒，明明看着也是上风球，实力比对面还好，就自己一堆失误送掉。美月至少目前对国乒只输海产，对次主力是全胜
2025-10-25 04:06回复
(It's difficult to comment... It's happened four times already. Beating Miwa the previous round, then losing to the CNT the next. They clearly had the upper hand and were stronger than their opponents, but they just made a bunch of mistakes and gave it away. At least so far, Mi[wa][Sa]Tsuki has only lost to Seafood when up against the CNT, and has won all against the secondary main players)

慢嗨梁祝 恭喜马琳贺喜马琳，有内战王在，日乒必亡
IP属地:河北来自Android客户端5楼2025-10-25 04:11收起回复
(Congratulations to Ma Lin! With the "Civil War King" around, Japanese table tennis is doomed)
我是shui: 比上了奥运一单还打全日青的张本美和强
2025-10-25 08:31回复
(Better than Harimoto Miwa, who made the Olympic 1st singles and competed in the All-Japan Junior Championships)

安宰贤(大赛版) 虽然有点儿离谱，但结合伊藤单打爆冷输曾尖，早田的状态大不如前，今年对国乒交手战绩很差，俩人这个状态也是能理解……伊藤真的感觉单打输了之后心态崩了，打女双也是闷闷不乐的。
IP属地:河南来自Android客户端6楼2025-10-25 04:21收起回复
(While a bit outrageous, considering Ito's upset loss to Zeng Jian in singles and Hayata's form being significantly worse than before, their record against the CNT this year has been very poor, so their current state is understandable... Ito seemed to have a mental meltdown after losing in singles, and she was also sullen in the women's doubles.)
cfm玩家特别见: 早田也就能打打张本美了。 早田：张本美出列。 张本美：到！ 早田（对着张本美的脸就是一巴掌）：我让你出列，你听不懂是不是？ 张本美（啪的跪下）：主人，我知道错了，请尽情吩咐小美。
2025-10-25 09:52回复
(Hayata can only play against Harimoto Mi[wa]. Hayata: Harimoto Mi[wa], step out. Harimoto Mi[wa]: Here! Hayata (slaps Harimoto Mi[wa] in the face): I told you to step out, didn't you understand? Harimoto Mi[wa] (knelt down): Master, I know I was wrong. Please give Little Mi your orders.)
安宰贤(大赛版): 回复 cfm玩家特别见 :你也不至于这样说，太难听了，早田也没压制到这个地步，今年还输了一次美和呢
2025-10-25 10:08回复
(You shouldn't say that. It's too harsh. Hayata wasn't that dominant. She even lost to Miwa once this year)

tl445755400 攻削组合都没来得及看看外战水平如何就先被自己人干掉了，结果又打不过国乒
IP属地:湖北来自Android客户端7楼2025-10-25 07:13回复
(There was not even time to see how good the foreign war of the attack-and-cut combination was before being eliminated by their own teammates, who in turn couldn't beat the CNT)

nbcsest 攻削本来就是很瘸腿的组合，第一轮早马打美和桥本到决胜局才赢，已经是挺差的表现
IP属地:江苏来自iPhone客户端14楼2025-10-25 10:56回复
(The attack-and-chop combination is already quite lame. In the first round, Hayata/[Mi]Ma beat Miwa/Hashimoto only in the final game, which was already a poor performance)

嗯清风拂山岗 要是一直这样打下去，积分也赚不了多少，就算从资格赛出来也容易碰中国队，你看jtta敢报她俩去大比赛吗
IP属地:江苏来自Android客户端16楼2025-10-25 12:46回复
(If they keep playing like this, they won't earn many points. Even if they make it out of the qualifiers, they'll likely face the CNT. Do you think JTTA would dare to sign them up for a major tournament?)

 

[zeio]

Borrowing what Trump said, Ito has to be thankful, she doesn't have the cards...

Getting pinned down to the BH by the long serve, the only thing Ito could attempt is the FH step-around, which is either make (winner) or break (FH wide open).

Same deal on Ito's serves, returns like long pushes to her BH from the other side severely limit her options. As long as the shots are deep enough, then she can't get in the first strong attacks on the 3rd or 5th shots and is bound to miss.

G4, 5:5 to 7:5, then 8:7, 9:10, 10:11, 11:12 and 12:12 were all long serves and receives to Ito's BH (diagonal) and then FH (parallel).
LIVE! | T1 | Day 2 | WTT Star Contender London 2025 | Session 1
https://youtu.be/iKCXCsqUCN4?t=7720
G5, 0:2 and 1:2, 2:3, 4:4, 5:4, 9:9 and 10:9
https://youtu.be/iKCXCsqUCN4?t=8232

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...-fast-drive-from-short-pips.35660/post-489012

But OTOH, you can shut down short-pips players if you know how to play them, say, serving really tight (just over the net) and short no-spin to their short-pips side, slip in a few backspin long serves for a change and watch them fume. If you manage to get past their 3rd or 5th shots (mostly the sinking shots) and overwhelm them with heavy loops, they become sitting ducks. Yes, it's easier said than done, but once you get the hang of it, you'll see the fun in playing combination players, which is unique to table tennis.

 

[zeio]

2 days away from a 1-year anniversary and it becomes more clear the golden generation is fading away.

2024/10/27
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/wtt-champions-montpellier.33332/post-488323

sad for Mima. "only" 24 but it looks she's already too old to play her style. she's a fraction less reactive and sharp than she used to be. and people know how to play her. ODO just served long to her BH like (for example) CM does...
painful to watch. maybe after all Zeio will be proven right and we'll see an early retirement from Mima ???

Jiang Jialiang retired at 25 and Deng Yaping at 24.

Zhang Yining and Li Xiaoxia have also said on video record a few years ago that Ito would peak and then drop off around that age. There is a reason CNT ditched the short-pips style.

p.s.
While we are at it, that's why I wrote that Hirano knew when to stop, unlike Hayata, who said she had to play even more aggressively for LA 2028, all the while admitting that she has trouble putting on muscle and so is injury-prone. For the time being, I say their odds for LA 2028 are still roughly the same, despite the fact that the selection system will be largely based on WR. This will be the first 4-year Olympic cycle after Rio 2016. Too many uncertainties and way more variables.

 

[zeio]

Back in 7/2025, a Tieba user predicted the first one Matsushima would break through among the 4 players as FZD, LSD, LYJ and WCQ, and how his "servant" mindset would prevent him from beating LYJ, which was reinforced by the loss today at WTT SCT London 2025.

松岛目前稳输的这四个人中，最先突破的会是王骰 (Among these four people to whom Matsushima is currently losing consistently, the first one to be broken through will be Wang Head)
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/9907276823

 

[zeio]

After several WS matches with Mori Satoshi at WTT SCT London 2025, it looks like Oka Yusuke will not bench-coach Hayata anymore? A response to public pressure?

2025WTTスターコンテンダー ロンドン（イギリス）
https://jtta.or.jp/tour/32749

母体スタッフ
岡　　雄介（日本生命）
森　　聡詩（日本生命）
左　　俊斉（日本生命レッドエルフ）

https://tleague.jp/team/red-elf/player/

森 聡詩
Satoshi Mori
コーチ

 

[JackJohnson]

After several WS matches with Mori Satoshi at WTT SCT London 2025, it looks like Oka Yusuke will not bench-coach Hayata anymore? A response to public pressure?

2025WTTスターコンテンダー ロンドン（イギリス）
https://jtta.or.jp/tour/32749


https://tleague.jp/team/red-elf/player/

I’ve been watching a bit and her coach has been different. Is Oka Yusuke the one who was bench coach during that time for the medical timeout and before?

 

[zeio]

I’ve been watching a bit and her coach has been different. Is Oka Yusuke the one who was bench coach during that time for the medical timeout and before?

Yes, that's him. He had been the bench coach for Hayata between WTT Finals Fukuoka 2024 (or strictly speaking ATTC 2024 but Hayata withdrew from WS after the draw) and China Smash 2025 (or strictly speaking ATTTC 2025 but it was a team-only event headed by head coach Nakazawa instead).

Mori Satoshi is the older brother of Mori Sakura.

 

[NextLevel]

2 days away from a 1-year anniversary and it becomes more clear the golden generation is fading away.

2024/10/27
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/wtt-champions-montpellier.33332/post-488323

Yeah and after @Takkyu_wa_inochi wrote that, she went on to win the WTTC singles bronze in 2025. Its fun to speculate but it is good to remember some of the inconvenient facts for such narratives. One close loss to a player who by all accounts had a tournament performance that was unlikely for her on the whole is not what decides this. Ito doesn't have to peak now. She has to peak in 2027 and 2028. This asterisk needs to be placed on *all* statements about current form.

 

[zeio]

張本美和 チームの先輩・平野美宇に逆転勝ちでベスト8進出【卓球 WTTロンドン】
https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/tabletennis/news/2025/10/040605.html
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/008279b2dc5f2af103b58c71ee7c07c4e0348322/comments
qvx********
18時間前
平野選手は第五ゲーム劣勢でタイムアウトの時に左膝の古傷を1分間マッサージしてもらってもよかった。何なら続けてMTOを要求しても。
そんなことをするような人ではないから余計に応援しちゃうのだけどね。
(Hirano could have taken a timeout in the fifth game when she was behind and had a one-minute massage done on the old injury in her left knee. She could have even asked for an MTO after that.
She's not the type of person to do something like that, so that's why I root for her all the more.)
40 concur, 2 ic, 33 hmm
xvp********
5時間前
平野選手は着替えタイムだけじゃない？
(Isn't it just time for Hirano to change clothes?)
0 concur, 0 ic, 2 hmm

pen********
15時間前
それにしても…
他の方が平野選手の古傷についてコメントされているが、平野選手が左ひざを痛めたのは、昨年のパリ五輪の直前だったので、本人はただの一言も口にしてはいないが「もうだいぶ長いこと怪我を引きずっている」と言える。
今日までの間、彼女が試合で左ひざにサポーターをしていなかったことは記憶に無いくらいだ。
だいぶ前に「平野選手は予防でサポーターを付けている」という謎の発言をした解説者が居たが、おそらく「痛みの再発の予防」という意味なのかもしれないが、それもずいぶん前の話だ。
もう長いことサポーターが外れていない状況であるのは事実。
大事無いと良いのだが…
(Even so...
Other people have commented on Hirano's old injury, but Hirano injured her left knee just before last year's Paris Olympics, so although she hasn't said a word about it, it's safe to say that she's been suffering from the injury for quite some time.
To this day, I can't remember a time when she wasn't wearing a brace on her left knee during a match.
A while ago, a commentator made the mysterious statement that "Hirano is wearing the brace as a preventative measure," which probably meant to "prevent the pain from recurring," but that was a long time ago.
It's true that she hasn't been without the brace for a long time.
I hope it's nothing serious...)
17 concur, 3 ic, 7 hmm
kei
13時間前
もうずっとだからね、完治しないんだと思う
(It's been a long time, so I don't think it'll ever be cured)
4 concur, 0 ic, 8 hmm

 

[zeio]

Han Ying on Hashimoto during a recent stay in Hong Kong.

World-class table tennis player Han Ying comes to Hong Kong for table tennis exchange 🇩🇪🇭🇰
https://youtu.be/cK1o1Q3fFWo?t=182

 

[zeio]

WTT SCT London 2025
WS F
Harimoto (1) 4-3 Hayata (6) (-5, -6, 8, 4, 6, -6, 9)

Harimoto handled the point at 9:9 of G7 differently from the past. She hit to Hayata's BH (1), middle (2) and FH (3) with her BH and FH to "force" a weak return without "forcing" it. She used to hit 2 of those 3 points and Hayata would always get back the shot.

And how many times has it been for Hayata now, especially in 2025? Always leading 2 games and subsequently losing.

 

[zeio]

MS F
Harimoto (1) 2-4 QD (4) (-11, -10, -12, 9, 7, -10)

Once handcuffed, he always lacks the willingness and the resolve (fear of losing > desire to win?) to pry his way out of the pinch. If this continues, Harimoto will keep repeating his mistakes from WTTC 2019, Tokyo 2020, WTTC 2021 and WTTC 2025.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...star-contender-october-2025.35858/post-547465

Man, is it Kishikawa's coaching or Harimoto's stubbornness? Always so slow to adapt (a big problem with Japanese society).

Kept playing rallies (safe) when QD clearly had the upper hand until G4, where he started turning to use his FH much more (risky) and finally taking it.

 

[zeio]

Comments are still pouring in at this hour in Japan...

TV Tokyo had staff up at this hour, showing the significance of this match.

張本美和 逆転V！ 決勝で早田にリベンジを果たし今季5度目のWTTシングルス制覇 【卓球 WTTロンドン】
https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/tabletennis/news/2025/10/040634.html
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ebd077000a40547bdbd5380cd337d073b03ec721/comments
oce********
13時間前
出だしはカットマンとの連戦で疲れ見え、
スト負けかもと危惧したが、徐々にペースを
掴んで、最後は繊細なラリー戦を勝ち取ったのは
お見事！
これで苦手意識が払拭出来るといいね！
(At the start, she looked tired from consecutive battles with cutman,
and I was worried she might lose in straight games, but she gradually found her pace
and won a delicate rally at the end,
which was impressive!
I hope this will help him get rid of his weaknesses!)
302 concur, 10 ic, 29 hmm

gsz********
9時間前
美和ちゃん早田さん、前回は早田の違反級の故障タイムで、流れを変えた因縁の対戦、張本美和ちゃんがリベンジを果たした！美和ちゃん優勝おめでとう！今度は中国トップランカーを破って優勝して欲しいです
(Miwa-chan and Hayata-san, last time Hayata's illegal medical timeout changed the flow of the match, and now Harimoto Miwa-chan has gotten her revenge! Congratulations to Miwa-chan on her victory! I hope she will beat the top ranked Chinese players and win this time)
202 concur, 1 ic, 45 hmm

kit********
2時間前
やったー♪
優勝おめでとう
前の対戦疑惑のタイムアウトから、絶対に勝利して欲しかった。
ほんとに良かった️
(Yay! ♪
Congratulations on the win
I really wanted her to win after the doubtful timeout in the previous match
I'm so glad)
105 concur, 3 ic, 17 hmm

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【卓球】張本美和、早田ひなに決勝でリベンジ　フルゲーム激闘で力出し切り今季５勝目…ＷＴＴスターコンテンダー・ロンドン
https://hochi.news/articles/20251027-OHT1T51034.html?page=1
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e9a2fd81b1e236e8ab62a7fc5ada06d513750864/comments
xtf********
8時間前
このリベンジには、ただのリベンジ以上の価値がある
横浜であんな仕打ちを受けてから調子を落としているように見えていたので、本当にこの勝利はただの１勝ではない
(This revenge is worth more than just revenge. After that disappointment in Yokohama, it seemed like she was losing her form, so this win is really more than just a win.)
261 concur, 3 ic, 56 hmm

ori********
8時間前
美和ちゃん優勝おめでとう！声援の大半が美和ちゃんに送られてましたね！早田側、ファンは「人生がかかってるんだから不正をしても勝てばいい」といった考えの様ですがそれは間違ってますね。スポーツマンシップの無いプレーは日本卓球界の為にはなりませんから。
(Congratulations to Miwa-chan on your victory! Most of the cheers were directed at Miwa-chan! It seems that Hayata's fans think, "It's her life at stake, so it's okay to cheat as long as she wins," but that's wrong. Playing without sportsmanship is not good for the Japanese table tennis world.)
191 concur, 2 ic, 66 hmm

 

[zeio]

「このままだと一生、中国人選手に勝てない…」早田ひな24歳が明かす金メダルへの覚悟「ぽかーんとした」卓球少女が“打倒中国”を目指すまで
https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/862409

東京五輪金メダリストとのスリリングな攻防​

　'22年夏、WTTチャンピオンズ・ヨーロピアンサマーシリーズ準々決勝でのことだ。相手は東京五輪金メダリストで、当時世界ランク2位の陳夢だった。

　試合は序盤から両者一歩も譲らずスリリングな攻防が続いた。早田は伝家の宝刀フォアドライブを叩き込んで第1、第4ゲームを奪取。しかし、第2、第3ゲームは相手の得意なラリー戦に持ち込まれて失った。

　迎えた最終第5ゲーム、先行する陳夢を捕まえて、8－8の同点に追いついた。流れは、早田の手の中にあった。

「技術でも上回ることができていたし、戦術面でも、後から振り返れば確実に勝利につながる道がありました。でも、私の頭が悪すぎた。私の頭が良ければ、絶対に勝てた試合だったんです」

　レシーブがうまくヒットせず、ラリーでのフォアもバックも狙いを外れた。まさかの3連続ミス。目の前にあった金星は、あっという間に消えた。屈辱的な敗戦だった。

　とはいえ、メディアは世界ランク2位相手に「大健闘」と報じた。ファンからは「もう一度戦えば勝てる」と励まされた。

どうすれば、22歳で頭は良くなるのか​

　しかし、本人の認識は違った。

「次は0－3で負けるかもって、思ったんです。中国の選手は、一度接戦に持ち込まれたら徹底的に対策を練ってきます。次の対戦ではボコボコにしてやろうと考える。それを超えるためには、自分自身がより進化しないといけない。中国の壁を乗り越えるには、本気で自分が変わらなきゃいけないと痛感しました。卓球に限らず、もっと知識を増やして、考える力を伸ばして、頭を良くしないと、って」

　どうすれば、22歳で頭は良くなるのか。目をつけたのが「言葉」だった。

「それまでも自分で練習メニューを組んだり、相手の対策をしたりしていたんですけど、考えに深みがなかった。自分の中で突き詰められていない感覚だったんです。だから、考えを言語化することを徹底的に意識しました。たとえ擬音になっても、とにかく自分が思ったことを口に出して」

　言語化能力の進化を、小学生の頃から指導する石田大輔コーチはこう証言する。

A thrilling battle with the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist​

It was the summer of 2022, in the quarterfinals of the WTT Champions European Summer Series. Her opponent was Chen Meng, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and world number 2 at the time.

The match was a thrilling battle from the beginning, with neither player giving an inch. Hayata used her signature forehand drive to take the 1st and 4th games. However, she lost the 2nd and 3rd games to her opponent's signature rallies.

In the 5th and final game, Hayata caught up with Chen Meng, who was leading, and tied the score at 8-8. The momentum was in Hayata's hands.

"I was technically superior, and looking back, I could see that there was a clear path to victory tactically. But I was just too stupid. If I had been smarter, I definitely would have won the match."

Her returns weren't well-placed, missing her targets on both her forehand and backhand during the rallies. 3 consecutive mistakes. The victory that was right in front of her vanished in an instant. It was a humiliating defeat.

Still, the media reported a "great fight" against the world's 2nd-ranked player. Fans encouraged her, saying, "If they fight again, she can win."

How do I become smarter at 22?​

However, her own perception was different.

"I thought I might lose 0-3 next time. Once a CNT player gets into a close match, they thoroughly prepare a strategy, thinking how to beat me badly in the next match. To surpass that, I had to evolve even more. I realized that to overcome the CNT barrier, I really had to change myself. It wasn't just about table tennis. I had to gain more knowledge, improve my thinking, and become smarter."

How could a 22-year-old become smarter? She turned to "words."

"Even before that, I'd made my own practice routines and prepared strategies for my opponents, but my thoughts lacked depth. I felt like I wasn't getting to the bottom of things. So I made a conscious effort to verbalize my thoughts. Even if it meant using onomatopoeia, I just wanted to say what I was thinking."

Coach Ishida Daisuke, who has been coaching players since elementary school, testifies to the evolution of her verbalization ability.

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FULL MATCH | Chen Meng vs Hina Hayata | WS QF | WTT Champions ESS 2022
https://youtu.be/w9Po_hxdUaw?t=2030