She eliminated Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi but lost the final; Kuai Man fell 3-4 to Harimoto Miwa, and the Chinese national team missed the championship.

On March 15 Beijing time, the WTT Chongqing Champions women's singles final concluded. Chinese national team mainstay Kuai Man faced Harimoto Miwa. After seven rounds of competition, Kuai Man, trailing 2-3, suffered a narrow 3-4 defeat by her opponent and missed the title. Harimoto Miwa won her first Champions women's singles championship, marking a significant breakthrough—note that Harimoto Miwa is only 17 years old!

Kuai Man, ranked fifth in the world, is a rising star of the Chinese national team. In this tournament, she performed very strongly. In the quarterfinals against world number one Sun Yingsha, she directly eliminated her opponent 4-2, advancing to the semifinals with an upset victory. Then, unstoppable, she defeated Wang Yidi 4-1, becoming the sole contender to reach the final. Her final opponent was world number eight Harimoto Miwa, one of the biggest threats to the Chinese team, mainly because Harimoto Miwa is very young and highly aggressive. In the semifinals, she defeated teammate Otomo Saya 4-1 to advance to the final, seizing the opportunity to challenge for the women's singles title!

Thus, Kuai Man battled Harimoto Miwa for the championship. This time, Harimoto Miwa had an excellent chance to claim the title, as her opponents were not Sun Yingsha or Wang Manyu. This was also a prime opportunity for Harimoto Miwa to break through against the Chinese national team, and she naturally did not let this chance slip away!

After the match began, Harimoto Miwa quickly got into form, directly suppressing Kuai Man with aggressive play, comfortably taking the first set 11-6. Kuai Man then adjusted promptly, swiftly attacking Harimoto Miwa, winning two consecutive sets 11-9 and 11-7 to reverse the score 2-1. Harimoto Miwa quickly responded, winning two sets 11-9 and 11-6 to regain the lead 3-2 and secure match point. In the sixth set, Kuai Man held her nerve to win 11-9, tying the match 3-3. The deciding set became one-sided; Harimoto Miwa, riding high momentum, dominated 11-5 to clinch the victory, defeating Kuai Man 4-3 to claim the championship!

It must be said that Kuai Man's performance in this final was somewhat disappointing. She defeated Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi but lost the most crucial final. This indicates that Kuai Man lacks the capability to take over the mantle, being comprehensively suppressed by Harimoto Miwa. It seems our women's singles situation is also precarious; unless Wang Manyu or Sun Yingsha reaches the final, others struggle to compete against foreign associations!

Text/Sports Story