[Archive] Sora MATSUSHIMA, the resolve of a 16-year-old. Talks about the breakthrough in WTT Rio

At 18, Sora MATSUSHIMA claimed his first title at WTT Smash USA. This interview is an archive interview from three years ago.

At WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro, held in August 2023, Sora MATSUSHIMA defeated a string of strong opponents and advanced to the Final. The reason behind the breakthrough that stunned the world was his “mental strength.”　

Sora MATSUSHIMA
Born April 29, 2007, from Kyoto Prefecture. Influenced by his parents, both table tennis players, he picked up a racket at age 2 and won six straight titles in the All Japan Championships Hopes, CUB, and Bambini categories. He also won the singles title two years in a row at the National Junior High School Tournament. At the World Youth Championships, he won three gold medals in U15. He has won the All Japan Table Tennis Championships, Japan’s highest-level event, twice. He won WTT Smash USA in July 2026 and rose to No. 4 in the world rankings (July 6, 2026)
*Photo taken in 2023

“It’s not just about matches; it’s about how far you can push yourself in everyday practice, too. I learned in matches against top players that you have to strengthen your mind and keep fighting even when things get tough.”

“With the mental state I have now, I felt I could beat Marcos FREITAS too. I thought I had a chance, and I went onto the court ready to attack.”

Far away in Brazil, the 16-year-old Sora MATSUSHIMA shone brilliantly. Starting from the qualifiers at WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro, MATSUSHIMA defeated top players from various countries, including three players ranked inside the world’s top 30, among them Dimitrij. OVTCHAROV (Germany). He improved his world ranking by 83 places and jumped to No. 51

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●─How do you look back on WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro (Rio hereafter)?

Sora MATSUSHIMA (hereafter, MATSUSHIMA)　It was my first time competing in South America, and the travel from Japan was tough. Since only two men took part from Japan—Oikawa and me—I received a lot of help from Oikawa.

　Over the past few years, I hadn’t been able to produce the results I wanted and had been feeling frustrated, but in Rio I was able to beat strong overseas players, so it was a tournament that really gave me confidence.

●─How far were you aiming to go before the tournament?

MATSUSHIMA　My first goal was to get through the qualifiers. But after qualifying and beating Marcos FREITAS (Portugal), I started to feel, “I want to win the title.” Still, to be honest, I didn’t think I’d make it to the Final, so part of me was surprised too. Second place would have been a good result, but since I made it to the Final and lost, it was frustrating.

●─What was your best Singles result in WTT up to then?

MATSUSHIMA　In senior events, I passed the qualifiers for the first time at WTT Contender Lima in Peru, which I played before Rio. In Lima, I lost 2-3 to Monteiro (Portugal) in the first round of the main draw, and when I faced him again in the second round of the Rio qualifiers, I won 3-0. Before Monteiro, I had another strong opponent in Bobocica (Italy).

　In Lima, I won the Dobles title with Oikawa, but right after the award ceremony I traveled straight to Rio, which took about six hours. Five hours after arriving in Rio, I had my Singles qualifier Match, and my Opponent was Bobocica. It was physically tough, but once I played, I didn’t find him difficult to handle, so I felt confident that I wouldn’t lose. I was able to play from the start with an aggressive mindset, and that helped me win 3-0.