Japan beat Germany 3-1 in the women's table tennis team semifinals on Thursday, August 8 at South Paris Arena 4 to advance to the final.
As a result, Japan will take on China for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, August 10, after it blanked South Korea 3-0 in the other semifinal. The final is scheduled to start at 10 PM JST.
Hina Hayata and Miu Hirano gave Japan a 1-0 lead with a 3-1 (11-3, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8) win over Germany's Xiaona Shan and Yuan Wan in their doubles match.
The Germans leveled the score at 1-1 after Annett Kaufmann routed Miwa Harimoto 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-8) in their singles contest.
Japan went back in front 2-1 when Hirano bested Wan 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-9) in a singles match that provided a contrast in age, as the 16-year-old Hirano prevailed against the 41-year-old Wan.
Harimoto then clinched the 3-1 victory for Japan with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-0) triumph over Shan.
Japan Carries Confidence into Olympic Table Tennis Team Final
"We have secured at least a silver," Hayata was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "But this is not the end."
Added Hayata, "We have come through training and qualification tournaments over the last three years. We will carry confidence with us from the fact that we are managing to stand on this stage and look to give 120 percent in the final."
China will present a formidable foe, as it has won every Olympic gold in the event since it began at the 2008 Beijing Games.
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
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