Two teams of Japanese paddlers advanced to the finals of the mixed and women's doubles events at the table tennis world championships in Houston on Sunday.
The world No. 20 mixed doubles pair of Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata shook off a mid-match slump to beat the China-U.S. team of Lin Gaoyuan and Lily Zhang going 11-9, 11-1, 6-11, 8-11, and 11-2 in their semifinal match. They face all-Chinese duo Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha for the title on Monday.
"It was a really tough match, so I'm very happy," said Harimoto. (In the final) I won't be hitting any easy shots and will be giving all I've got. I think we have a chance (to win) if each of us puts in more than 100%."