Yoshimura & Odo shock top seeds Shidong & Kuai Man

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May 21, 2025
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21-May-2025

Yoshimura & Odo shock top seeds Shidong & Kuai Man

Doha: Maharu Yoshimura and Satsuki Odo claimed an emotional victory at ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Doha 2025, pulling off a stunning upset against No.1 seeds Lin Shidong and Kuai Man to move into the semi-finals of the mixed doubles, on the fifth day of the nine-day worlds. Yoshimura and Odo won 8-11, 11-5, 13-11, 12-10.

Bronze medallists two years ago at the World Championships Finals in Durban, Lin and Kuai were hot favourites to bring home the gold in Doha, and the World No.1 duo made a promising start to the match, landing the opening game by a three-point margin.

But it was clear things weren’t going to be straightforward for the Chinese superstars as Yoshimura and Odo returned to the table with even greater determination, and it wasn’t long before the scores were level once again.

Suddenly, the feeling inside Lusail Sports Arena completely changed as Lin and Kuai began to realise they had a fight on their hands. Down 10-7 in the third, the top seeds chalked up four points on the bounce to hold a crucial game point opportunity, but fate would swing the other way as Yoshimura and Odo took an unlikely lead for the first time.

Producing a championship calibre performance on the grandest of stages, Yoshimura and Odo were inching ever closer to etching their names in World Championships Finals history, and could see the finish line, opening up a commanding 8-3 lead in the fourth.

There were some late nerves for the Japanese partnership, seeing their opponents claw their way back to 8-8. Lin and Kuai would then save match points at 10-8 and 10-9 to draw level, heaping the pressure on Yoshimura and Odo.

With the tie in the balance, it was now or never for the Japanese underdogs, and they would embrace the moment, straining every sinew to close out a historic victory.

An overwhelmed Yoshimura said, “It’s been a long time since I last won a medal at the WTTC - the last time was in 2019. To be paired with Odo and win a medal really exceeded my expectations. So many emotions rushed over me all at once, and I couldn’t help but cry. I’m truly happy.”

The surprises continued in the men’s doubles as Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu and Spain’s Alvaro Robles stunned Japan’s fourth-seeded pairing of Tomokazu Harimoto and Sora Matsushima 3-2 (9-11, 14-12, 4-11, 11-9, 11-9).

In the women’s doubles, Germany’s Sabine Winter and Yuan Wan added to the day’s dramatic moments by eliminating Chinese Taipei’s Tsai and Huang 3-2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7).

Meanwhile in the men’s singles, Germany’s Patrick Franziska produced one of the most remarkable comebacks of the tournament, overturning a 0-3 deficit to defeat Korea Republic’s Cho Daeseong 4-3 (7-11, 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3) in a breathtaking encounter.

In the women’s singles, Japan’s eighth seed Mima Ito overcame a spirited challenge from Poland’s Natalia Bajor to win 4-2 (11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 1-11, 2-11, 11-9), while her compatriot Hina Hayata had to work hard to defeat Czech Republic’s Hana Matelova 4-2 (7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 11-10).

Italy’s teen Gaia Monfardini saw her remarkable run come to an end against South Korea’s s ninth seed Shin Yubin, who prevailed 4-1 (11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-14, 11-6).

Despite the defeat, Monfardini’s breakthrough performance in Doha, which included a stunning upset of Hong Kong, China’s 28th seed Doo Hoi Kem, marks her as a rising star to watch.