Kihara picked Sato over Hashimoto when asked which of the two was
more difficult to face . Having struggled with her Tibhar medium pips?, she often thought about switching to double-inverted and even quitting for good...
木原美悠が明かす葛藤の日々「卓球やめたい」とも… 約10ヶ月ぶりの国際大会優勝で浮かべた涙の背景
(Kihara Miyuu reveals her days of inner conflict "even contemplating quitting table tennis"... and the story behind the tears she shed upon winning an international tournament for the first time in about 10 months)
https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/tabletennis/news/2026/11/042907.html
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First-Ever Victory Over Defensive Specialist Sato Hitomi in International Competition
The women’s singles final at the WTT Star Contender Astana turned into a grueling battle, lasting one hour and eight minutes.
Her opponent was Sato Hitomi (Nippon Paint Group), a defensive specialist ranked 8th in the world. While the two are domestic rivals who frequently trade wins and losses, Kihara had lost all four of their previous encounters on the WTT circuit—a matchup that had historically proven difficult for her.
Matches between the two are often tightly contested, and this encounter was no exception, going the full distance in a best-of-seven series.
"There were many moments along the way where I thought, 'This is really bad.' But I kept telling myself not to give up, knowing this was the final match. Before this, I had played in the mixed doubles final—partnering with Kobayashi Hiromu—where we lost to a Chinese pair. I had about two to three hours before the singles final, so I focused on resting as much as possible, with only a brief 20-minute practice session to get ready."
Kihara admitted that while resting, the thought of facing Sato left her feeling overwhelmed.
It’s easy to see why: just the day before, she had engaged in a full-length, five-game battle against another defensive specialist, Hashimoto Honoka (Denso), and only five and a half hours prior to this final, she had played another grueling full-length match against Odo Satsuki (Miki House).
Exhausted, she was barely able to summon the mental strength to keep going.
Yet, once the final began, a surge of adrenaline took over, instantly washing away her fatigue. Kihara emerged victorious, winning the match 4–3—her first-ever win against this formidable opponent in an international tournament.
When asked which player was more difficult to face—Sato or Hashimoto—Kihara answered immediately: "Sato." Her reasoning is as follows: "Sato is incredibly tenacious. No matter where I hit the ball, it comes back—even when I move her around the court, front to back or side to side. She returns every single smash I throw at her. Hashimoto, on the other hand, has an amazing serve—with so much variation—and incredible attacking power. That, I think, is the major difference between the two. I don’t have much confidence in my own stamina, so when I play against Sato, I find that both my physical endurance and my mental state are more likely to crumble."
Wiping away tears after the match... "I really gave it my all."
This was the final match of a three-week-long overseas tour. In the moment of victory, what welled up inside wasn't just the joy of winning, but a profound sense of relief: "These three weeks are finally over." Yet, once she returned to the bench and caught her breath, tears began to stream down her face.
"I felt a strong sense of, 'I really gave it my all.' I knew that even if I lost this match, I wouldn't have any regrets. I had poured everything I had into it—so if I ended up losing, I figured it would simply come down to a difference in ability. I was already thinking that way midway through the match."
Kihara admits that she hadn't felt this way in a long time. In fact, around the summer, she had struggled to find the motivation to play, even going so far as to think,
"I don't want to go on these overseas tours."
"Japanese players have become so incredibly strong lately—it makes me wonder if I can ever reach that level... Whether I win or lose, the future is just so uncertain. Going through a string of losses with that kind of mindset—there were many times I just wanted to quit table tennis. That was the hardest period of all."
It is hard to imagine that someone with such a bright, ever-smiling personality could have been carrying such a heavy burden.
What does she mean by "the future is uncertain"? It speaks to the exceptionally high level of competition among Japanese women and the fierce battle for spots on the national team.
According to the latest world rankings released on October 5, Harimoto Miwa (Kinoshita Group) currently sits at number three, making her the top-ranked Japanese woman. Following them are Hayata in 6th place, and Sato—who climbed to 8th after finishing as the runner-up at the WTT China Smash (October 1–11). Next in the rankings are Odo Satsuki (Miki House) in 13th, Hashimoto in 14th, Nagasaki Miyu (Kinoshita Group) in 18th, and Kihara in 19th. Kihara currently sits in seventh position among them.
Will I be able to secure a spot on the Olympic or World Championship team, and can I contribute to winning medals on the world stage? Such anxieties must surely have weighed on Kihara’s mind.
She herself admits that the long road toward a distant goal is "truly grueling."
A year of struggle following a change in rubber—and signs of a recovery after further adjustments
During the first half of this season, Kihara faced repeated early exits, losing in the first or second rounds of international tournaments. A glimmer of hope emerged, however, linked to a change in her rubber equipment this past April.
In April 2025, when Kihara switched her equipment sponsorship from VICTAS to TIBHAR, she replaced the short-pips rubber on her backhand with a version designed for greater spin variation rather than pure speed. She struggled to master this rubber—which featured slightly taller pips—and ultimately reverted to a speed-oriented version this April, a year later.
"As a player who uses 'unorthodox' rubber combinations—having different types of rubber on the forehand and backhand—I’m always at risk of opponents getting used to my style. I wanted to add more variation to my shots. But that extra variation also made the rubber harder to handle; for instance, when facing opponents who generate a lot of spin, I struggled to control my own returns."
While this latest change has helped her regain the feel for the shots she envisions, it does not mean all her challenges have disappeared.
"I feel that with my unorthodox playing style, I can reach a certain level, but it’s difficult to go any further. Because of this, I’ve often thought about switching to a 'double-inverted' setup—using inverted rubber on both my forehand and backhand. But lately, I’ve started focusing on the advantages of my current setup; I can flip my racket to create variations, which is actually a great asset. I used to flip it occasionally, but now I’m practicing doing it more often so I can turn it into a real weapon."
Breaking Through the 'Top Four' Barrier at the All-Japan Championships
In her personal life, she obtained her driver’s license earlier this year. She mentioned going on a training camp with Hirano Miu—who is four years her senior and a close friend—and smiled as she said, "Driving is fun!"
Kihara’s current goal is to "give everything I have in every single match at every tournament."
By striving for a balance between her competitive career and her private life—and learning how to effectively switch between the two—she says she has found "a really positive rhythm, which allows me to play with a great sense of ease."
Kihara is set to compete in the WTT Contender Istanbul, which begins on November 17th. Then, as the new year arrives, comes the All-Japan Championships.
"The 'top four' barrier has always been a tough one to break through. To reach the top of the podium, I want to grow with every tournament leading up to the All-Japan Championships and become an even stronger version of myself."
Having moved past a period of struggle, Kihara is once again looking ahead. I hope to see her ride this upward momentum and soar to an even higher level.
Text by TAKAGI Mina)
