Miwa Harimoto and Hina Hayata reach Asian Championship doubles final

In the women's doubles semifinals of the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Japanese pair of Miwa Harimoto and Hina Hayata defeated China's Chen Yi and Jiang Yiyi with a score of 3-1. The victory places the duo one win away from a title, marking their fourth win as a pair across WTT series and championships.

In the same round, the Japanese pair of Satsuki Doto and Miyu Nagasaki lost to China's Kuai Man and Wang Yidi in straight games, earning the bronze medal. The Harimoto-Hayata pair is scheduled to face the Chinese duo of Kuai and Wang in the final.

This follows Japan's recent success in the women's team event, where Japan defeated China 3-2 to claim their fourth Asian Championship title. During that event, Honoka Hashimoto, a defensive cutter, drew significant attention from Chinese media after securing two victories against top Chinese players, prompting discussions in China regarding the difficulty of countering defensive playing styles.