Sports
09:45, 10-Jun-2018
Teenager Harimoto eliminates Olympic champion Ma Long in Japan Open quarterfinals
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Japanese table tennis player Tomokazu Harimoto beat China’s reigning world and two-time Olympic champion Ma Long 4-2 during the men's singles quarterfinal at the 2018 ITTF World Tour Japan Open in Kitakyushu, Japan, on June 9.
Ma, currently the captain of the Chinese men's table tennis team and a former world No. 1, succumbed to the sixth-seeded Harimoto 11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 2-11, 11-6.
Earlier this month, Chinese table tennis icon Zhang Jike also suffered a surprise loss against the 14-year-old Japanese player in the first round of the China Open.
The Japanese star now aims at gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics game after such whirlwind victories. “Whoever is at the other end of the table is my rival,” Harimoto was quoted as saying.
Harimoto faces off against South Korea's Lee Sangsu in the next game.
Meanwhile, the second semi-final will see China's Zhang Jike play German former world No. 1 Timo Boll.