Jun Mizutani confirmed his place among the greatest players in Japanese table tennis history on Sunday by winning his record-equaling eighth men's singles title at the national championships in Tokyo.
Mizutani won four straight games after dropping the first to beat the physically imposing Kazuhiro Chan 4-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6). The relatively unheralded Chan had earlier shocked world No. 21 Maharu Yoshimura 4-1 in their semifinal.
The win puts Mizutani equal with the legendary Kiyoshi Saito, who also won eight singles crowns in the 1980s and early 1990s.