Ai Fukuhara and Kasumi Ishikawa enter the 2015 table tennis World Cup in career-best form, putting them in the best-possible position to end China's longtime grip on the tournament, which begins Friday in Sendai.
Fukuhara, who was born in Sendai, says she will be doing all she can to perform well in front of her home fans after reaching a career-high No. 4 in the world in October.
Four years after the earthquake and tsunami disaster that so badly affected the region, Fukuhara is keen to draw attention to the fact that her hometown has recovered and is on the up-and-up.