The main favorite of the 2025 All Japan Table Tennis Championships (2025年全日本卓球選手権大会) went down in the semi-finals after a stunning performance by the young Japanese talent Sora Matsushima.
The Kyoto-born athlete has been on the rise in recent seasons, already making his way into the Top 30 of the World Rankings and cementing his place in the roster of the Japanese national team alongside Tomokazu Harimoto and Shunsuke Togami. This year, Doha will host the 2025 World Table Tennis Championships, and victory in the national championships is the first step in guaranteeing a place in Japan’s roster.
Matsushima did not face too much of a resistance on the way to his first national title. As one of the seeded players, he entered the competition in the Round of 64 with a win over Kohei Sambe (4-1). In the rounds, leading up to the game against the tournament’s favorite – Tomokazu Harimoto, Matsushima got past Asuka Machi (4-0), the experienced Maharu Yoshimura (4-1), and Kakeru Sone (4-2).
The semi-final turned out to be relatively one-sided. Harimoto had his moments here and there, but Matsushima was too consistent, and he cruised past the more experienced teammate with a score of 4-1. The final game against Hiroto Shinozuka was even more one-sided. Another 4-1 win and Matsushima could enjoy the emotions of being a Japanese champion for the first time. Who knows, this might be a new, exciting chapter in the history of this tournament.
Matsushima also confirmed his ambitions for the future, saying: “I felt disappointment that I couldn’t compete in the Paris Olympics, so I wanted to get a win against Harimoto on a big stage. I’m glad I was able to win. I’m determined to earn my spot and compete in the singles at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.”
Matsushima, however, wasn’t the only player that made some surprises in this tournament. Yuma Tanigaki also had a memorable run, getting past 2022 & 2023 champion Shunsuke Togami in the Round of 32 (4-3). Eventually, he managed to advance to the semi-final stage and secure his first medal in the All Japan Table Tennis Championships. He lost to the finalist Hiroto Shinozuka (1-4), but this tournament will still be something to remember for the 21-year-old Okayama Rivets player.
The 2025 All Japan Table Tennis Championships has definitely been a worthy spectacle, and it once again displayed the amount of World-class talent the Japanese table tennis can develop. If Matsushima keeps up his progress, he might become one of the dark horses of the 2025 WTTC and create some headaches for the leading Chinese players.
FINAL
Sora Matsushima 
4-1 vs. Hiroto Shinozuka 
(11-9, 11-9, 11-3, 6-11, 11-3)
1/2 FINALS Sora Matsushima 
4-1 vs. Tomokazu Harimoto 
(13-11, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-7) Hiroto Shinozuka
4-1 vs. Yuma Tanigaki (11-2, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3)
1/4 FINALS Tomokazu Harimoto
4-0 vs. Yuta Tanaka (11-5 , 11-8, 11-7, 11-3) Sora Matsushima
4-2 vs. Kakeru Sone (3-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8) Hiroto Shinozuka
4-3 vs. Yukiya Uda (11-5, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9) Yuma Tanigaki
4-1 vs. Shunsuke Okano (11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 11-5, 11-4)
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