Four players from Perth Japanese Table Tennis Club combined as Team Japan to claim silver in the teams event at the 2026 Western Australian State Closed Championships on Thursday, 27 August.
Daiki Shimojo, Hina Ishii, Shingo Matsuda and Takuto Meguro represented the club at the Table Tennis Western Australia Centre. Team Japan swept through its semi-final 3-0 before finishing runner-up after a hard-fought 3-1 loss in the final.
Team Japan takes silver on the opening night
The four-day championships are being held at the TTWA Centre in East Victoria Park from 27 to 30 August. Team Japan made an impressive start to the newly introduced teams event, winning its semi-final 3-0 to secure a place in the decider.
The final brought Team Japan up against a strong squad featuring Yonis, Jaryl, Ian, Sidney and Audrey. Three players contest each tie under the event format, with Daiki, Hina and Shingo taking the court for Team Japan in the final.
Final: match-by-match
Match 1: Daiki Shimojo vs Yonis
Daiki opened the final against Yonis, with the contest going all the way to a fifth game. The turning point came in the third. Daiki led 10-8 and held two game points, but Yonis fought back and eventually took the game 16-14 after a long deuce battle.
There was little between the two players for the rest of the match. Daiki pushed Yonis into the deciding game, but Yonis secured the final points to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Match 2: Hina Ishii vs Jaryl
Hina faced Jaryl in the second match and produced a competitive performance. She handled his pace well, created openings with clever placement and stayed with him in the longer rallies. Jaryl was steadier on the important points, however, extending the opposition’s lead to 2-0.
Match 3: Shingo Matsuda vs Ian
Team Japan needed a win to stay in the final, and Shingo delivered. His opponent, Ian, entered the match rated more than 300 points higher on Rating Central.
Shingo found it difficult to play his natural game in the opening game. Even so, he stayed patient, kept the rallies going and forced the score to deuce before Ian eventually closed it out.
From the second game, Shingo began to find his rhythm. His footwork improved, his forehand became more effective, and he won both the second and third games in deuce. Ian responded by taking the fourth, sending the match to a deciding fifth game.
With the tie on the line, Shingo trusted the strengths that had brought him back into the match. Sharp footwork helped him create space for his forehand, and he completed an outstanding 3-2 win over the higher-rated Ian to keep Team Japan alive.
Match 4: Hina Ishii vs Yonis
Hina returned to the table for the fourth match, this time against opposition number one Yonis. She lost the first two games but responded strongly to take the third and keep Team Japan’s hopes alive. Yonis regained control in the fourth to win the match 3-1 and seal the final by the same scoreline.
Team Japan fell one win short of the title, but a 3-0 semi-final victory and a determined performance in the decider earned the club’s four players a well-deserved silver medal.
How the new teams event works
The teams event is a new addition to the 2026 WA State Closed Championships. The main rules are:
- Each team may nominate three or four players, with three players taking part in each tie.
- Each tie consists of up to five singles matches.
- Each individual match is played as the best of five games.
- The tie ends when one team wins three individual matches.
- The order of play is A vs X, B vs Y, C vs Z, A vs Y and B vs X.
- Each of the three players must meet a different age and gender eligibility criterion.
- The competition uses round-robin and knockout stages, depending on the number of entries.
The mix of age and gender categories adds an extra tactical element. Teams must consider both their three-player selection and the order in which those players take the court.
Championships continue through Sunday
The 2026 Western Australian State Closed Championships run from Thursday, 27 August to Sunday, 30 August. Following the teams event, the program includes junior events on Friday, veterans, rating-based and athletes with disability events on Saturday, and the open events on Sunday. Singles, doubles and age-group competitions feature across the weekend.
Daiki, Hina and Shingo are scheduled to compete in more categories during the championships. Perth Japanese Table Tennis Club will publish a further update once those results are available.
Event details:
View the 2026 WA State Closed Championships page on the Table Tennis Western Australia website