WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- 16-year-old Japanese table tennis player Miu Hirano succeeded in lifting the trophy of 2016 women's table tennis World Cup in her first attempt in a tournament long dominated by Chinese players since its inauguration in 1996.
Hirano became the youngest player ever to win the title after she beat the second-seeded Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei 11-9, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 in the final in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The competition became more open as Grand Slam winner Ding Ning and defending champion Liu Shiwen, both of China, withdrew due to injuries. In the tournament featuring 19 top players, Hirano overcame compatriot Mima Ito and Feng Tianwei of Singapore, two favorites for the championship, en route to the final and grabbed the victory at last.
Japan is widely viewed as a threat to China at the Tokyo Olympic Games four years later for the emergence of Hirano and Mima. The duo was written on the Guinness World Record as the youngest champions after winning the doubles at 2014 ITTF World Tour German Open with a combined age of 27 years and 145 days.
Feng finished on the podium in third after beating Tie Yana of Hong Kong, China 4-1 in the bronze medal match.
