Japan Top 12 and WTTC 2019 Trial, 3/2-3

1st day of competition will see 8 contestants duke it out to determine the winner who will get the final spot for singles at the WTTC 2019.

The winner will join the other 4 players who have been selected for WTTC singles in Stage 2 and the winner will be the Champion of Japan Top 12 2019.

Of note here is that the men's and women's finals of Stage 2 will be broadcast live in prime time on Fuji TV, a major TV station. Folks in Japan are so stoked since this is a 1st in recent years.

[Players]
● March 3 (Sun)
◆ Men's
Tomokazu Harimoto (JOC Elite Academy)
Koki Niwa (Svensson)
Jun Mizutani (Kinoshita Group)
Kazuhiro Yoshimura (Aichi Institute of Technology)
◆ Women's
Kasumi Ishikawa (Zennoh)
Mima Ito (Starts SC)
Miu Hirano (Nippon Life Insurance)
Hitomi Sato (Miki House)

● March 2 (Sat)
◆ Men's
Yuya Oshima (Kinoshita Group)
Yuki Hirano (Kyowa Hakko Kirin)
Yukiya Uda (JOC Elite Academy/Ohara Gakuen)
Kenji Matsudaira (Kyowa Hakko Kirin)
Shunsuke Togami (Noda Gakuen High School)
Taimu Arinobu (Ricoh)
Masataka Morizono (Okayama Rivets)
Masaki Yoshida (Okayama Rivets)
◆ Women's
Saki Shibata (Miki House)
Hina Hayata (Nippon Life Insurance)
Miyu Kato (Nippon Paint Holdings)
Sakura Mori (Nippon Life Insurance)
Asuka Sasao (Waseda University)
Minami Ando (Senshu University)
Miyuu Kihara (JOC Elite Academy)
Miyu Nagasaki (JOC Elite Academy/Ohara Gakuen)

Updated post with new trailer.

Bumping with the final trailer.

Draw Ceremony

【Draw】
<Men's>
Yuya Oshima vs Masaki Yoshida
Taimu Arinobu vs Matsudaira Kenji
Uda Yukiya vs. Shunsuke Togami
Masataka Morizono vs Yuki Hirano

<Women's>
Saki Shibata vs Miyu Nagasaki
Asaka Sasao vs Sakura Mori
Miyu Kato vs Minami Ando
Miyuu Kihara vs Hina Hayata

All 4 tables streamed live right now. Japanese VPN needed.
https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/tabletennis/2019/senkoukai/

I didn't expect Kato to beat Ando either.

Hayata can't ease off to conserve stamina for tomorrow.

She has quite a lot of trouble receiving Kihara's shovel serve and Kato's tomahawk.

Hayata is turning the game into BH battles. 5:5 -> 10:5. Her FH is just off today. 10:7, 10:8, 10:9, 10:10, 10:11, 11:11, 11:12, 11:13.

5 match points wasted.

Takkyu_wa_inochi said:

****, i am so disappointed for HAYATA. and pissed off.

I knew KATO was going to be a tough opponent. HAYATA completely choked. She had so much pressure into this event.

Why on earth did JTTA give the wild card BEFORE the qualification tournament is over, and gave it to SATO ?

They cannot undo it now, and its really a pity.

Click to expand...

Meanwhile, LGL after learning the news.