World No. 2 and No. 2 seed confirmed! Hina Hayata & Tomokazu Zhangmoto ″Gold Medal in Paris″ was clearly visible!

It was the best birthday present for the 24-year-old queen.

On July 7, the pair of Hina Hayata (24) and Tomokazu Zhang (21) won the mixed doubles title at the WTT Star Contender Bangkok. This was their fourth consecutive win in an international tournament and confirmed their “No. 2 seeding for the Paris Olympics. Hiroko Fujii, a former member of Japan’s national team and a table tennis commentator, said, “Their chances of reaching the finals at the Olympics have increased dramatically.

In the Olympics, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in the world will be placed in opposite blocks. With this win, I moved up to No. 2 in the world rankings. This was my last tournament before the Paris Olympics, so I was able to reverse my ranking with Korea at the last minute. Being the No. 2 seed, we won’t face a strong opponent, China, until the finals.”

The strength of the Hayata-Zhang pair, who are already expected to win more than a silver medal, is their combination, which allows them to take advantage of each other’s strong points.

In mixed doubles, the women are usually in the front and the men in the back, but Zhang is good at attacking quickly from the front, that is, playing close to the ping-pong table,” said Hayata. On the other hand, Hayata’s big weapon is her drive, which is as powerful as the men’s players. By pairing them up in doubles, they can take advantage of their respective strengths. It is also significant that the singles national team was decided early in January, allowing them to spend more time practicing for the mixed doubles. The two now know exactly where to hit the ball and how to hit it, and they are able to play together at their best.

The gold medal is clearly in sight.

From the July 26/August 2, 2024 issue of “FRIDAY