Zhang Cheng is attending university, which is why he's been absent from the bench. Ironically, Hirano plays better without him...
平野美宇、大藤沙月に国際大会のリベンジで10戦全勝 言及した“対若手選手”への心構え「相手を崩すようなイメージ」【Tリーグ】
After the match, Hirano honestly stated, "We lost as a team, but as an individual, I feel happy and frustrated because I played a good match." She praised the victory of the top-ranked team, saying, "Nippe M has many strong players, so it's not surprising that we won or lost, including me. Today, the opponent was better as a team."
Hirano played against Odo in the "WTT Champions Montpellier" in October and lost, whom then fought her way to the title and surpassed Hirano in the world ranking by reaching the 8th place, so she got her revenge on the T League stage.
Regarding her mindset when playing against young players, Hirano analyzed the characteristics of her opponents, saying,
"Until now, I was good at my speed and other abilities, and I often won because of that, but many young players are more capable and powerful than me." She then said,
"It's quite difficult to play the same way there. I think it's important to play with the image of breaking down the opponent by shot path, speed, and variations in the match." She said that she responds to the opponent's momentum while making use of her own experience.
Hirano has now won all 10 singles matches this season, and showed a solid performance in the 2 consecutive matches in Hiratsuka. Regarding her success in the T League, she cited the environment she was in as a factor, saying, "Kinoshita's team is traditionally strong, so we're able to practice with high quality on a regular basis." She also expressed her enthusiasm to continue leading the team, saying, "I'm the oldest in team matches, so I'll do my best to contribute as much as I can to the team."
平野美宇、勝率“100％”キープで3部門トップの好スタッツ コーチ不在の環境も「甘えがなく卓球に向き合えている」【Tリーグ】
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Hirano continues to practice in the absence of her current coach, Zhang Cheng, who is attending university. She describes her approach as "a new attempt and a challenge," creating her own training menu and checking videos on her smartphone. She also revealed, "There are times when it's tough, but I'm facing table tennis in a good way without relying on others."
This season, the 24-year-old is showing remarkable progress, winning against strong players such as Yokoi Sakura (Nippon Paint Marets) and Odo, to the former of whom she lost 3 times last season. Manager Nakazawa Rui also expressed his confidence, saying, "She's been able to think for herself recently (in the absence of a coach). I think we can expect great things from her."
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