China crowned women’s champion – England Table Tennis

The players received a roaring welcome from more than 7,000 fans as the women’s final of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026, presented by ACN, kicked off at a sold-out OVO Arena Wembley.

In a repeat of the final in each of the last five championships, all of which China had won, it was Miwa Harimoto (WR 5) who took the first game 11-4 to give Japan the early advantage.

In her match against Wang Manyu, she also had a 7-2 lead over the number two in the world in the second game, a lead that she would extend to game point at 10-5. Wang cut the score to 10-9, but a well-timed timeout gave Harimoto the chance to get the point she needed for a 2-0 lead.

In the third, Wang fought back to claim the game 11-6 with her second game point to make it 2-1 in the match. The momentum of the game and the support from the crowd saw her storm out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth, which she then built on to make the match 11-4 and tie the match at 2-2.

The decider featured early exchanges until Harimoto was able to force the issue and open an 8-3 lead. Harimoto gained match point at 10-4 and took it at the first time he asked to put Japan 1-0 in the match,

With the world number two defeated, next up for China was world number one – Sun Yingsha – who took on world number 11 Hina Hayata.

In a tight opening game, it was Sun who was able to beat her opponent when she opened the game point at 10-7. Not needing a second invitation, the Chinese player took the opening match with 11-7 and a 1-0 match lead.

The second was an equally close battle before Sun was once again able to advance and earn game points at 10-5. Harimoto saved the first two, but she couldn’t do anything to stop Sun, who won the match 11-7.

In the third, Sun again made the crucial move when it mattered most. She opened the match point, but the crowd had to wait as Harimoto fought back into the match at 10-8 before Sun got the match over the line at 11-8.

With the match tied at 1-1, Honoka Hashimoto (JPN) and Kuai Man (CHN) came to the table.

It was Hashimoto who earned the first game point at 10-5, but excellent defensive work allowed him to win the game only on the second call at 11-6.

From a tight opening that ended at 5-5, Kuai was able to put her attacking play to good use as she secured an 11-5 match victory to level the score at 1-1.

Hashimoto bounced right back to take the third 11-6, before the fourth proved to be another tight match. At 7-7, an epic rally ensued that followed the pattern of Kuai’s attack and Hashimoto’s defense. The Japanese player won the match and stormed forward to win the match 11-8 and the match 3-1.

Back at the table for China, world number one Sun Yingsha faced Miwa Harimoto. Both had won in their opening matches and it was Sun who took a commanding lead, winning the first game 11-2 to make it 1-0 to China.

The second game started as a more exciting affair than the first, before Sun were able to take the lead again at 8-3. She would capitalize on this advantage by winning the game 11-4. Sun completed the match win 3-0 when she won the third match 11-6.

This epic battle culminated in a decisive match, with Hina Hayata playing for Japan and Wang Manyu playing for China.

Wang set the tone early as she raced to the lead. Despite Hayata closing the gap to 10-7, Wang was able to convert her third game point to take the lead in the match.

Both players pushed each other in the second game, creating excitement and tension in the crowd. Leading 9-7, Wang forced a game point and got it over the line to keep China one game away from defending their crown.

Despite leading 2-0, Hayata soon found themselves 4-2 behind in this crucial match. Wang opened her lead to 6-4 and then to 7-5 before moving forward to claim the match 11-4 and the match 3-1 to wrap up the match win 3-2 and the championship title.