A New Strength Emerges for Hina Hayata After Emotional Defeat

The Wall of China

In the fifth match against Wang, the game scores were 7–11 in the first game, 7–11 in the second game, and 5–11 in the third game. Although she was overwhelmed by the world No. 2 player, there were moments where she was able to break through Wang’s defense. The gap between them is steadily narrowing.

The Wall of China

“The frustration of not being able to overcome the wall is overwhelming. I want to engrave this experience in my heart.”

Wiping away her endless tears, Hina Hayata (25, world ranking No. 10) looked ahead. On May 10, in the final of the World Table Tennis Championships London women’s team event, Japan faced reigning champions China and lost 2–3.

“Aikawa Haruna (17, world ranking No. 3) earned a major upset victory over world No. 2 Wang Manyu (27) in the first match, and defensive specialist Honoka Hashimoto (27, world ranking No. 14) defeated Kuai Man (22, world ranking No. 7) in the third match. However, Hayata suffered straight-game defeats against world No. 1 and absolute queen Sun Yingsha (25) in the second match and Wang in the fifth match. Falling just one win short of a 55-year-long championship, Hayata described the loss as not being able to overcome the wall,” said a reporter covering major media.

From another perspective, it could be said that the Japanese women’s table tennis team led by Hayata had, on that day, finally reached the overwhelmingly high wall of China.

Former national team player Hiroko Fujii commented, “The actual skill gap between Hayata and her opponents was not as large as the game scores suggest.”

“Pay attention to the fifth match against Wang. Wang lost the first match to Harimoto after being attacked on her forehand side. She likely became aware that Japan would target her forehand. Hayata tried to counter this by gathering shots around Wang’s body to disrupt her rhythm, then attacking her forehand side once she became unbalanced. In fact, this worked at times, and there were moments when she was able to break through Wang’s forehand. However, Wang did not collapse easily. That was probably unexpected for Hayata.”

Hayata is known for her “Hina Drive,” an attacking style that uses powerful forehand topspin from a position slightly away from the table. However, according to Fujii, when receiving short balls near the table, Hayata often opts for safer, more controlled returns.

“Top Chinese players can attack even difficult short balls with flicks, reverse flicks, and quick counters. Compared to them, Hayata is slightly slower in that aspect. Of course, this is an extremely high-level comparison, so it is not a weakness per se. However, if she wants to reach the next level, she will need to incorporate more aggressive table play.”

That said, after winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Hayata’s style is also evolving.

“Since the Olympics, due to injury, Hayata has gradually been adopting a style that involves stepping closer to the table and counterattacking with faster timing. If she can further develop this tactic and compete equally with Chinese players in close-to-the-table exchanges, it will become a powerful weapon,” said the same source.

The path toward defeating China may indeed be born from the blessings of adversity.

From “FRIDAY,” May 29, 2026 issue.