The “DO Knuckle” Shock: The Rubber That Can Control “Variation” Wins on the World Final Stage

The impact of T “DO Knuckle”: “My opponent in the World Table Tennis Championships Final disliked my backhand chop and push”

Hashimoto Honoka talks about how she uses “DO Knuckle,” the rubber that creates magic shots

Hashimoto Honoka

Born July 5, 1998, from Aichi Prefecture. She began playing table tennis at age 5, teamed up with Sato Hitomi in 2019 to place third in the World Women’s Doubles, and helped Japan finish runner-up at the World Team Championships in London in May 2026. World ranking: 15th (announced September 21, 2026)

Hashimoto’s racket. “DO Knuckle” is a two-in-one rubber for “variation” and “control”

Hashimoto Honoka talks about the backhand-side “DO Knuckle.”

“For ‘DO Knuckle,’ I choose an extra-thin sponge. It lets me easily create spin changes by deciding whether to ‘cut’ or not, and it also allows me to attack. Even in the World Table Tennis Championships Final against China, my opponent, Kuai Man (then world No. 7), did not like my backhand chop and push, and tended to send pushes and topspins to my forehand. So I tried to use as much variation on the backhand as possible.