On January 17, 2025, the doubles events of the WTT regular tournament in Muscat concluded with the Japanese team securing championships in both men's and women's doubles, while the Spanish team won the mixed doubles title. The Chinese national table tennis team only managed to secure a silver medal with Huang Youzheng and Shi Xunyao, with no other pairs advancing to the finals.
In the men's doubles final, the Japanese pair of Tomokazu Harimoto and Koki Niwa faced off against the Chinese Taipei duo of Yushan Zhang and Jingkai Hong. In the previous station, Harimoto and Niwa lost to Peng Xiang and Yingbin Xu, settling for the silver medal in this event. However, their back-to-back qualification for the finals demonstrated their consistent on-court performance. As for the young players Yushan Zhang and Jingkai Hong, who have not been in the adult group for long, they felt unfamiliar with the competition.
The new cycle has seen Harimoto and Niwa as a key combination, with little chance of being replaced unless under special circumstances. So far, their results have been quite good, with two consecutive final appearances indicating their success. Although Yushan Zhang and Jingkai Hong previously defeated Huang Youzheng and Chen Yuanyu, showing that they possess some strength, overall, they are definitely not as strong as Harimoto and Niwa. This is not just due to experience but also because they lack advantages in various aspects.
After the start of the match, in the first game, Harimoto and Niwa led 8-4 before suddenly losing momentum, allowing Yushan Zhang and Jingkai Hong to catch up to 9-all. However, the young players still lacked experience in critical moments, leading to unnecessary mistakes due to tension. Harimoto and Niwa seized the opportunity and took the lead with a score of 15-13. In the second game, Yushan Zhang and Jingkai Hong continued with their previous tactics, which made it difficult for them to pose a threat to the Japanese pair. Harimoto and Niwa won another game with a score of 11-5.
In the third game, Yushan Zhang and Jingkai Hong led 6-4 but were reversed, with Harimoto and Niwa growing stronger and capitalizing on the momentum to end the game with an 11-6 victory. Ultimately, they won 3-0 over Yushan Zhang and Jingkai Hong, securing the men's doubles championship. Harimoto and Niwa have now entered two finals in the new year, achieving one championship and one runner-up in this event. Harimoto's current form is worth high vigilance as he remains our main opponent.
In women's doubles, the Japanese pair of Saya Todo and Sakura Yokoi won the championship with a 3-1 (10-12, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4) comeback victory over the Hong Kong China pair of Chengzhu Zhu and Yonglin Wu. From last year's Asian Championships to the present, Todo and Yokoi have advanced to the finals four times consecutively, with a record of three wins and one loss, only losing to their teammates Miu Hirano and Honoka Hashimoto. They are currently ranked first in the world. If the Chinese national table tennis team does not take them seriously, it will be very troublesome at this year's World Table Tennis Championships.
With this, the doubles events have concluded, with the champion combinations being Harimoto/Niwa, Todo/Yokoi, and Robles/Xiao Yaoxi. The Chinese national team won the men's doubles championship and mixed doubles runner-up at the previous station, but now only has the silver medal from Huang Youzheng and Shi Xunyao, falling short of expectations overall.