Teenager Ai Fukuhara and her partner Ryusuke Sakamoto won the mixed doubles title at the national championships on Thursday.
Fukuhara, ranked 13th in the world, and Aomori University student Sakamoto defeated Yuji Taniguchi and Kaori Ohashi 11-6, 14-16, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8 in the final at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
The pair won five consecutive points from 8-6 down in the final game to capture their first title in two years and second overall. "I wanted to win this mixed doubles title very badly, so I'm pleased," the 18-year-old Fukuhara said.