Misei Ito lost 3-4 and missed the singles qualification for the Paris Olympics, and Miu Hirano won three rounds in a row to enter the quarterfinals
On January 26, the 2024 All Japan Table Tennis Championships will start the fourth to sixth rounds of singles, and the main players will appear one after another. Miu Hirano won three rounds in a row and reached the quarterfinals, while Mimato Ito lost 3-4 in the quarterfinals and missed the qualification, as well as the women's singles match at the Paris Olympics. Miu Hirano qualified for the Olympic singles and joined Hina Hayada in the women's singles competition at the Paris Olympics.
The biggest attraction of the All Japan Championships is the battle for a women's singles place at the Paris Olympics between Miu Hirano and Misei Ito. Ahead of the All Japan Championships, Miu Hirano is second in the Olympic standings with 486 points, and Mimato Ito is third with 451.5 points. No. 1 Hina Hayada has 790.5 points in her hands, and she has already secured a place in the women's singles at the Paris Olympics ahead of schedule. With fourth-ranked Miyu Kihara and fifth-placed Miwa Haramoto only 354 and 330.5 points respectively, the second Olympic women's singles candidate will be between Miu Hirano and Misei Ito. Misei Ito only participated in the women's singles this time, and Miu Hirano partnered with Miwa Zhang in women's doubles in addition to the women's singles, but finally missed the quarterfinals.
In the women's singles, both men started in the fourth round, and I wonder if it was the competition for Olympic qualification that brought huge pressure. In the fourth game, both men played seven games, with Ito Misei defeating Nomura 11-3, 7-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 4-3, and Miu Hirano 11-2, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 7-11, 11-4, 4-3. Defending champion Hina Hayada won 4-0 against Hiromiko Takemae.
In the fifth round, Ito still played seven games, 7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-1, 4-3 against Izusawa Xingjia, and Miu Hirano defeated Mori Sakura 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 4-2, and the two continued to go hand in hand to break into the round of 16. Hina Hayada still lost four games in a row, with a big score of 4-0 Mei Hara, and successfully advanced.
Miu Hirano, who is getting better and better, lost four straight games in the 1/8 finals, 13-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-4, and defeated Satsuki Oto 4-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. Ito, on the other hand, continued to go through a seven-game battle, but this time she was the loser. Ito lost 11-7, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 7-11 to Kasumi Kimura 3-4 and missed out on the quarterfinals. Ito's Olympic singles points are fixed at 471.5 points, ranking third, and he will not participate in the singles competition at the Paris Olympics. The Tokyo mixed doubles champion will be able to compete in Paris depending on the final of the Japan Table Tennis Association, who will announce the third team on February 5.
Miu Hirano, who continues to advance in the singles, has qualified for the women's singles at the Paris Olympics, and she will join Hina Hayada in the women's singles at the Paris Olympics. Hina Hayada dropped a game in this round and defeated Saki Shibata 4-1 11-7, 6-11, 15-13, 12-10, 11-5 to also advance to the quarterfinals.