Top seed Aya Umemura edged Ai Fujinuma 4-3 in the women's singles final on Sunday to win her second straight title at the national table tennis championships and claim a spot in next year's world championships.
Umemura, playing with a chronic lower backache, won five straight points from a 2-0 deficit in the final game and went on to close out the tight match 11-5, 10-12, 11-3, 11-9, 11-13, 4-11, 11-5 at Tokyo Budokan.
Eight-time national champion Chire Koyama crashed out in the quarterfinals for the first time in her career while 14-year-old Ai Fukuhara, who was eliminated from the singles in the sixth round, cruised to victory over Midori Ito 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-8) in the junior division.