Chinese-born table tennis players Saki Kanazawa and Kaii Yoshida won the singles titles at the national championships Sunday, while teenage star Ai Fukuhara was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Ai Fukuhara returns a shot during her quarterfinal match at the national table tennis championships.
Kanazawa edged An Konishi 11-8, 10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium after China-based 17-year-old Fukuhara lost a hard-fought quarterfinal match to Ai Fujinuma.
Fujinuma came back from a 2-1 deficit to oust Fukuhara 7-11, 11-5, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8.
Fukuhara finished the tournament empty-handed, having already been knocked out of the mixed doubles and the women's doubles.
Her bid for a fourth straight title in the women's doubles ended Saturday after she and partner Konishi were beaten by Mikie Takahashi and Yuka Shiozaki 3-1 in the semifinals.
In the men's final, Yoshida beat four-time champion Koji Matsushita 2-11, 14-12, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 to win the national title for the second straight year.
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