Tomokazu Harimoto becomes youngest Grand Finals champ

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China may have maintained their stranglehold on table tennis for decades but Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto was not particularly bothered. The world number 5 took over the mantle of the youngest World Tour Grand Finals champion in table tennis history following an astonishing end to one of the most thrilling contests ever in Incheon, South Korea on Sunday.

Harimoto seized control early, never trailed, and with China's talisman Lin Gaoyuan failing to stave off the relentless pressure, as his good form seems to have deserted him, it allowed the fresh-faced Japanese to make sure of his place in the record books with a 4-1 triumph.

At 15 years and 172 days, Harimoto beats the mark of China's Guo Yue – who was crowned the singles champion in 2004 – by one year.

China's world number 4 Lin Gaoyuan (L) is outclassed by Japan's youngster Tomokazu Harimoto at the World Tour Grand Finals at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon, South Korea, December 16, 2018. /VCG Photo

By the time it was all done there was a surge of emotion as the Japanese youngster remained in shock, struggling to comprehend the scale of his latest achievement. He has already become the youngest singles winner at the World Junior Championships and the youngest paddler to progress into the quarter-finals of the World Championships.

World number 4 Lin obviously did not reach his most exhilarating peaks, being repeatedly left exposed by his uncharacteristic blunders, but it was still a fairly convincing victory for Harimoto.

The most impressive aspect of the 15-year-old's play was his winning mentality. This was his first grand final and he could have just walked on the court and reveled in the glamour and adulation of the media. Yet from the get-go, he strove to do better than that and did not let go until the ultimate prize was his.

"I've never been this excited after winning a championship," said Harimoto. "I felt I had more margin for error than I did last year. This alone was the one I wasn't going to let get away."

Tomokazu Harimoto poses with the trophy as he becomes the youngest winner of a singles title in the World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon, South Korea, December 16, 2018. /VCG Photo

It would be unwise to overstate the ramifications of this title, but the question now arises of whether Harimoto's win will be a kind of beginning. China has dominated table tennis for years, during which no country has truly threatened their supremacy, but biding his time for a breakout performance, Japan finally has the talent pool to dethrone the reigning emperor.

Apart from the irrepressible Harimoto, Japan's Mima Ito and Hina Hayata also edged past Chinese opponents Chen Xingtong and Sun Yingsha, grabbing the women's doubles titles at the Grand Finals.

China's Chen Xingtong (R) and Sun Yingsha (L) lose the women's doubles title to Japanese pair Hina Hayata and Mima Ito at the World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon, South Korea, December 16, 2018. /VCG Photo

However, the biggest indictment of all is that only one out of five Chinese top-class players managed to squeeze into the semi-finals of this season-ending showpiece. Top-ranked Fan Zhendong was stunned by 22-year-old Hugo Calderano of Brazil at the quarter-finals.

In sharp contrast, evidenced by this exquisite performance, Harimoto arguably has what it takes to embark on a scintillating winning run. It would surprise no one if he becomes the next big thing in the sport and Japan will take some stopping.