Tomokazu Harimoto defeated China's world No. 1 Fan Zhendong on Friday in the Asian Cup.
In their Group A match at Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, Harimoto, ranked 13th in the world, defeated Fan 3-1 for his first victory over a Chinese player in a senior competition. The 14-year-old Harimoto finished atop the group with three straight wins to book a place in the knockout round that starts Saturday.
"I don't have words for when I beat an excellent player," Harimoto said. "I can't think of anything."
Koki Niwa also also reached the men's knockout round after finishing second in Group C, while Kasumi Ishikawa won women's Group C to advance to the next stage.