The results of the second day of the Doha Star Challenge main event were truly unexpected! The Japanese women's team, originally full of confidence and hoping to make a big splash in their first major competition of the new year, suffered a devastating blow that left many feeling compelled to reflect.
The Japanese team took this competition very seriously, sending five players to participate in this station's event. Among them, four were top eight seeds, with three being top three seeds. These five players are the number one seed of this competition, Hina Hayata, the second seed, Miyuu Kato, the third seed, Sarina Tokimoto, and the sixth seed, Miu Hirano. These four are the absolute mainstays of the Japanese team, along with Sakura Yokoi, who competed with Mima Ito for the fifth main position. With this super-luxurious lineup, the momentum was truly aggressive, as if the women's singles championship was already in the bag. They were clearly aiming to compete with the national table tennis team, wanting to prove their strength on the international stage, and even coveting the position of becoming the leading force in the world of women's table tennis.
However, on our side of the national table tennis team, the strategy was much more sophisticated. We did not choose to confront the Japanese team head-on but instead focused on training our players. We only sent out the lineup of Ge Man, Xunyao Shi, Tianyi Qian, Zhuojia He, and Kuaiman Kuai. Among these, only Tianyi Qian can be basically confirmed as one of China's top five main players, while the remaining three have not been able to secure a main position. This is a solid second-line lineup facing the opponent's first-line lineup, which made many people hold their breath for us before the match.
In today's matches, the Japanese team's top five main players all went into action, and the scene was truly lively. However, except for Hina Hayata winning against her teammate Sakura Yokoi, the Japanese team suffered a complete defeat in the remaining three foreign battles. Two of these matches were lost to our non-main players from the national table tennis team. Sarina Tokimoto lost 2:3 to our young player Kuaiman Kuai, who really saved face for us. Facing the main players of the Japanese team, she was fearless, daring to fight, and managed to pull down the opponent. Miu Hirano was even defeated 0:3 at lightning speed by our Chinese young player Xunyao Shi, who is truly a tough character, directly sweeping the opponent without giving any chance, showing her momentum and strength, making the opponent convinced. The only one who lost to a non-national table tennis player was Miyuu Kato, who lost 2:3 to Thailand's Paranan, which was somewhat unexpected but also added another embarrassing stroke to the Japanese team's participation this time.
Such a crushing defeat has completely shattered the Japanese team's dream of surpassing the national table tennis team and becoming the leading force in the world of women's table tennis. Because even against the second-line players of the national table tennis team, they performed so poorly; how will they cope when players like Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu come out? This is truly worrying for them. Therefore, for the Chinese women's team, even if Chen Meng really does not participate in international competitions in the future, we do not need to worry too much. Our national table tennis team has a strong reserve force, and these second-line players have remarkable strength, fully capable of carrying the flag and continuing to win glory for the country on the international stage.
Looking at it this way, last year's Asian Championships and the losses in the French Championship were just some aftermath after the Olympic Games. Our main players of the national table tennis team experienced some ups and downs after the Olympics, which is quite normal. But when we are in a normal state, it is difficult for these Japanese players to defeat China's main players. The top level of Japan's first line is currently only at the level of China's second line, which is truly eye-opening. It's not that they can't win against our first-line players at all, but in ten matches, they might only win once or twice. This gap is not just a little bit. Therefore, the Chinese women's team has not encountered any so-called crisis, and there is still a hierarchical difference between Japan and us, which cannot be changed overnight.
This Doha Star Challenge is truly significant for the national table tennis team. On the one hand, our second-line players have gained valuable training opportunities, showcasing their strength and style on the court, adding a rich stroke to their path of growth. On the other hand, it has also allowed us to see more clearly the profound foundation and deep strength of the national table tennis team. Whether it is the first-line main players or the second-line players, they all have outstanding performances and strong competitiveness, which truly makes opponents look up to us.