[Unforgettable Match] Asuka Sakai (T.O.M & Table Tennis ZANMAI)

From the December 2026 issue of O-KOKU, via O-KOKU Time-out

Asuka Sakai

Scored one point against China in the 2012 World Junior Championships boys' final

The match against China at the World Juniors and the semi-final in the All Japan Dobles

When I look back on my table tennis career so far, the first thing that comes to mind as an unforgettable match is my third match in the boys' team final at the 2012 World Junior Championships, which I played in my first year of high school, against Xu Chenhao of China.

The Japanese team had lost the first two matches, so it was on the line when it came to me, but I stepped onto the court with the feeling that I just had to go for it.

The match went to a game all, and I won 11-9. Unfortunately, the team lost 1-3, but this was a match in which I was able to play above my own level, and even now, looking back, it left such a strong impression that I can still think, “I was really strong back then.”

Another match that stands out for me is the semi-final of the 2017 All Japan Championships men's dobles, when we beat the pair of Jun Mizutani and Masaki Yoshida. I was competing with Koki Niwa as my partner, and I remember that when we were riding in a taxi the day before the match, the two of us talked about how tough it was going to be because our opponents were so strong.

But once the match actually started, I was in top form, and Niwa-san set me up perfectly. He used Placement to throw the opponents off balance, and I finished off the chance balls. That pattern worked beautifully, and we won. We also took the final in a close battle to claim the title, but this semi-final remains in my memory as the match where everything came together best.

From this season onward, I want to keep contributing to my team in the T League, where I am playing for the first time, as well as in MTTL in the United States, and add even more unforgettable matches along the way.

Sakai has been playing for T.T Saitama since the 2026-27 season (Photo: T League)