Honoka Hashimoto carried Japan to the women's team title at the 2026 ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships in Tashkent. The team came from 2-1 down to beat China 3-2 in the final. Hashimoto won both of her matches, and the second of them decided the title.
From 2-1 down to a 3-2 comeback
Both teams had reached the final with 3-0 semifinal wins, Japan over Chinese Taipei and China over South Korea. The final then turned tight.
Hashimoto opened with a 3-0 win over Chen Yi, but Miwa Harimoto lost 2-3 to Wang Yidi, and Hina Hayata fell 0-3 to Kuai Man. That left Japan trailing 1-2, with China one win from the title. Harimoto answered by beating Chen Yi 3-0 to force a deciding fifth match at 2-2.
That left Hashimoto against Wang Yidi, with the gold medal on the table. She fell behind 6-10 in the first game, then won six points in a row to take it 12-10. She controlled the second 11-3, mixing cut strokes with attacks.
Hashimoto closed the gap and pressed late to win it 11-7, completing a 3-1 match. Chinese media later cited Japan's handling of cut-style defence as a reason for the defeat.
Japan's fourth Asian women's team gold
Hashimoto was the only Japanese player with two wins on the night, and Chinese media had named her a bigger threat than Harimoto. China fielded its squad without Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, its two leading players. The result gave Japan its fourth Asian women's team gold, and its first since the 2024 title in Astana.
A defensive specialist from Denso, Hashimoto had taken team silver at the 2025 Championships in Bhubaneswar a year earlier. She was ranked outside the world's top ten, while Wang stood fifth.
