Regarding women's table tennis player Miwa Harimoto, the topic of "she is getting stronger and stronger" appeared on Chinese SNS Weibo.

On the 9th, Harimoto, along with her older brother Tomokazu Harimoto, won the singles title at WTT Champions Yokohama 2026. Then, at the WTT European Smash held from the 8th to the 16th in Malmö, Sweden, she won the doubles title with Hina Hayata. In singles, she won her quarterfinal match against Chen Yi (Chen Yi), her first encounter with a Chinese player, by a score of 4-0, taking the first game 11-1.

Although she lost 2-4 to China's Wang Yidi (Wang Yidi) in the semifinals, Harimoto, who had lost the first two games consecutively, took the third game. After dropping the fourth game, she showed resilience by taking back the fifth game.

Regarding Harimoto, a sports blogger on Weibo posted: "I have to admit it. Harimoto is genuinely getting stronger. She's not just relentlessly attacking; her tactical thinking is also maturing, her backhand threat is top-notch, and she has a rich variety of serves." The blogger also wrote, "She's defeating China's top players one after another in major tournaments and maintaining good form even after playing two consecutive tournaments. This is no longer a 'fluke upset,' but genuine growth in skill," and urged young Chinese players to prepare for fierce battles with Harimoto. (Translation and editing by Noya)