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To keep things in perspective, Cheng I-Ching's win over Mima in T-League was a 1-game victory match which Mima subsequently avenged in R16 of WTT Contender Amman. Additionally, Cheng I-Ching beat *both* Hirano and Hayata and WTT Star Contender Goa. And as great as Miwa is and wlll be, she has yet to win a WTT tournament. She will have a great shot as the top seed in the next Feeder. But it's easy to forget that Mima is the youngest female to have ever won a senior Pro tournament.... a record that cannot be broken by Miwa.Yokoi has a very nasty backhand topspin and it will be a while before we know here true level.
Cheng I Ching is a good player, as is Qian Tianyi and Miwa Harimoto. At worst, three players will pass Ito and she won't get to play 2024. If that happens, it is a good thing for Japan. But no one is taking away her Olympic medals. Hitting is high risk, high reward. No one wins all the time. And Ito is still one of the top 3 in Japan and has the best record in international play, despite all the hype that has surrounded her compatriots. The only person with similar achievements is Hirano. Neither of them would trade away what they have achieved to avoid their recent struggles and Hirano has been due for an opening for over a year now, her strength is clear, she finally is getting some wins.. Ito needs moments like this to regrow - there is nothing bad about it. It is hard to take risks with your game when everything is going well.
Her loss today was disappointing having 2 game points in game 2 and 2 match points in game 5. She still has issues with BH consistency. And her timing on the FH is sometimes off. I understand that she does need to take risks when playing the CNT, but she's giving away too many points. I know it would be a painful thing for her to consider, but maybe it's best for her to make a change like how Miu Hirano changed her coach and got considerably better.
I am happy for her that she's secured a WTTC spot. The competition for an Olympic spot in Japan is fierce and she might not make it. But whatever the case, she will always have the gold, silver, and bronze Olympic medals she got in Tokyo.