Mima Ito became the first table tennis player to win three titles for two consecutive years at Japan's national championships after beating Miyu Kihara 4-1 in Sunday's women's singles final at Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka.
Ito posted a 13-11, 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5 win over Kihara for her third trophy following wins in women's and mixed doubles. She cut Kihara's hopes of becoming the youngest national singles champion at 14 years and five months.
"I'm mostly relieved. Of course I'm happy, but I'm also relieved," Ito said afterward. "I didn't think I would be able to defend my three titles so I'm surprised and happy."