Miu Hirano

Miu Hirano
Hirano at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
Personal information
Born (2000-04-14) 14 April 2000 (age 24)
Numazu, Japan[1]
Height1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)[2]
Table tennis career
Playing styleRight-handed, shakehand grip, counter driver
Equipment(s)Butterfly Viscaria FL (blade), Butterfly Tenergy 05 Hard (FH, black), Butterfly Tenergy 05 (BH, red)
Highest ranking5 (July 2017)[3]
Current ranking18 (20 February 2024)[4]
ClubKinoshita Abyell Kanagawa (T.League)[5]
Medal record
Women's table tennis
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Halmstad Team
Silver medal – second place 2024 Busan Team
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Düsseldorf Singles
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2016 Philadelphia Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Chengdu Mixed team
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2014 Incheon Team
Silver medal – second place 2022 Hangzhou Team
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Wuxi Singles
Gold medal – first place 2024 Astana Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Pattaya Doubles
Silver medal – second place 2015 Pattaya Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Wuxi Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Yogyakarta Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Yogyakarta Doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Pyeongchang Team

Miu Hirano (平野 美宇, Hirano Miu) (born 14 April 2000) is a Japanese table tennis player.[6][7] She won Women's World Cup in 2016 as the youngest ever winner. She won the women's singles at the 2017 Asian Table Tennis Championships by sweeping away three top Chinese players. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in women's team event.[8]

Career

2014

In March 2014, she and Mima Ito won their first doubles title at ITTF World Tour German Open. They became the youngest ever winners of the doubles competition in the ITTF World Tour.[9][10] She was part of the Japanese team in 2014 Asian Games, but lost to China in the final.

In April 2014 she won her second doubles title with Mima Ito at the ITTF World Tour Spanish open.[11]

In December 2014, she won the doubles title with Mima Ito at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Bangkok. The pair defeated Singapore pair of Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu in the semi-finals and Poland pair of Katarzyna Grzybowska and Natalia Partyka in the final.[12]

2015

On 5 July 2015, Miu Hirano and Mima Ito won the Women's Doubles title at the ITTF World Tour Korean Open.[13] This was their third doubles title since 2014.

2016

In April 2016, she won her first women's singles title in ITTF World Tour Polish Open by defeating Yu Mengyu in the Final.[14]

On 9 October 2016, with the absence of Chinese players, she seized the opportunity to win the Women's World Cup in Philadelphia, USA after defeating Mima Ito in the quarterfinals, Feng Tianwei in the semi-final and Cheng I-ching in the final. This marks the youngest women's World Cup Champion and the first non-Chinese player to win the title.[15]

2017

Hirano celebrating the moment she won the 2017 Asian Championships

On 22 January 2017, she won All Japan Championships by defeating Kasumi Ishikawa 4–2 in the final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.[16] On 14 April 2017, she defeated the world ranked No.1 player Ding Ning at the 2017 ITTF Asian Table Tennis Championships.[17] The following day of the tournament, she defeated the world ranked No.2 player Zhu Yuling in the Semifinals [18] and Chen Meng world ranked No.5 in the Finals, where she set a new record for the youngest winner of the Asian Championships in the singles event. She became the third non-Chinese player ever and the first non-Chinese player since Chire Koyama in 1996 to win the singles title.[19]

In the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships in Düsseldorf, Hirano progressed to the singles semi-finals but lost to Ding Ning of China. She obtained a joint bronze medal with Liu Shiwen of China. This ended a long medal drought for Japan in women's singles at the world championships since Toshiko Kowada achieved the gold medal in 1969 World Championships.[20]

2021

Hirano represented Japan at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in the team event, but did not play in the singles event.[21] In March, Hirano played in WTT Doha, but suffered disappointing upsets in both the WTT Contender and WTT Star Contender event, including a loss to Shin Yubin in a potential Olympic Team preview.[22]

Hirano won silver in the team event at the Tokyo Olympics.[23]

Teams

Teams joined in T.League:

Awards

  • 2016: ITTF Breakthrough Star of the Year[24]

Records

Hirano made her acting debut in the 2018 Fuji TV drama The Confidence Man JP.[25]

Performance timeline

Key
W F SF QF #R

(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist, rank added if bronze medal match played; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1
(S) singles event; (D) women's doubles event; (T) team event

Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
World Championships S 3R SF 3R 4R 4R
D 2R 3R QF
T F
Olympic Games T F
WTT Cup Finals S 1R
World Cup S W SF4 QF 1R
T F F 3rd
World Tour Grand Finals S SF 1R 1R 1R
D W F QF
Asian Games S 3R
D 2R
T F F
Asian Championships S 4R W QF 4R
D F SF QF
T F F F SF
Asian Cup S QF SF4 QF QF
Year-end ranking 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
42 16 11 6 9 11 11 14 22 17

Finals

Women's singles

Result Year Tournament Opponent Score Ref
Runner-up 2014 ITTF World Tour, Spanish Open Sweden Li Fen 1–4 [26]
Winner 2016 ITTF World Tour, Polish Open Singapore Yu Mengyu 4–0 [27]
Runner-up 2016 ITTF World Tour, Croatia Open Japan Hitomi Sato 1–4 [28]
Winner 2016 World Cup Chinese Taipei Cheng I-ching 4–0 [29]
Winner 2017 Asian Championships China Chen Meng 3–0 [30]
Runner-up 2019 ITTF World Tour, Czech Open China Chen Xingtong 3–4 [31]
Runner-up 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus, Canada Open Japan Kasumi Ishikawa 2–4 [32]
Runner-up 2022 WTT Contender Zagreb Japan Mima Ito 2–4 [33]
Winner 2022 WTT Feeder Otocec Japan Haruna Ojio 4–1 [34]
Winner 2023 WTT Contender Zagreb China Sun Yingsha 4–3 [35]

Women's doubles

Result Year Tournament Partner Opponents Score Ref
Winner 2014 ITTF World Tour, German Open Mima Ito Poland Katarzyna Grzybowska / Natalia Partyka 3–0 [36]
Winner 2014 ITTF World Tour, Spanish Open Mima Ito Austria Liu Jia / Czech Republic Iveta Vacenovská 3–2 [37]
Runner-up 2014 ITTF World Tour, Korea Open Mima Ito China Chen Ke / Wang Manyu 0–3 [38]
Winner 2014 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Mima Ito Poland Katarzyna Grzybowska / Natalia Partyka 4–0 [39]
Runner-up 2015 ITTF World Tour, Spanish Open Mima Ito Japan Ai Fukuhara / Misako Wakamiya 2–3 [40]
Winner 2015 ITTF World Tour, Korea Open Mima Ito Japan Hina Hayata / Hitomi Sato 3–2 [41]
Runner-up 2015 Asian Championships Mima Ito North Korea Kim Hye-sung / Ri Mi-gyong 0–4 [42]
Runner-up 2015 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Mima Ito China Ding Ning / Zhu Yuling 0–4 [43]
Winner 2017 ITTF World Tour, German Open Hina Hayata Chinese Taipei Chen Szu-yu / Cheng I-ching 3–0 [44]
Runner-up 2019 ITTF World Tour, Bulgarian Open Saki Shibata China Gu Yuting / Mu Zi 0–3 [45]
Runner-up 2019 ITTF World Tour, Czech Open Saki Shibata China Gu Yuting / Mu Zi 1–3 [46]
Runner-up 2019 ITTF World Tour, Swedish Open Kasumi Ishikawa China Chen Meng / Ding Ning 1–3 [47]
Runner-up 2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum, German Open Kasumi Ishikawa China Chen Meng / Wang Manyu 1–3 [48]
Winner 2020 ITTF World Tour, Hungarian Open Kasumi Ishikawa Hong Kong Doo Hoi Kem / Lee Ho Ching 3–0 [49]
Winner 2021 WTT Contender Doha Kasumi Ishikawa Chinese Taipei Cheng Hsien-tzu / Chen Szu-yu 3–0 [50]
Runner-up 2021 WTT Star Contender Doha Kasumi Ishikawa South Korea Shin Yu-bin / Jeon Ji-hee 0–3 [51]
Winner 2022 WTT Contender Almaty Hina Hayata South Korea Choi Hyo-joo / Shin Yu-bin 3–0 [52]

References

  1. ^ "平野美宇が史上最年少Ｖ リオ五輪落選の雪辱に涙". www.nikkansports.com (in Japanese). 23 January 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b "2021-2022シーズン選手 平野 美宇 Miu Hirano". tleague.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Ranking progression". ittf.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Rankings". ittf.com. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b "2022-2023シーズン選手 平野 美宇 Miu Hirano". tleague.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Miu Hirano – one of the worlds' most promising young girls signs with STIGA!". Stiga Table Tennis. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Athlete's Profile". 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee. Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Table Tennis HIRANO Miu - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". olympics.com. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Table Tennis Japanese 13-year-olds make history at German Open". Sport Asia. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  10. ^ "13 Year Old Japanese Duo Create History on the ITTF World Tour". Around The Rings. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Maturity Beyond Years, Miu Hirano and Mima Ito Repeat Magdeburg Success". Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  12. ^ "At A Glance: Japanese Teenagers Create History in Bangkok". Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Gold for Miu Hirano and Mima Ito, Youngest Final Ever". Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Result of Previous Month Reversed, Miu Hirano Wins in Poland". Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor. 24 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Miu Hirano responds to occasion, writes history, wins Seamaster Women's World Cup". Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  16. ^ "Hirano wins All Japan Championships". 22 January 2017.
  17. ^ "Hurricane Hirano shocks Olympic and World Champion Ding Ning out of Asian Championships". 14 April 2017.
  18. ^ "Hurricane Hirano gale force, blows away Zhu Yuling". 15 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Marvellous Miu and her magical ways". 15 April 2017.
  20. ^ "Hirano ends long medal drought for Japan women". Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  21. ^ "WTT Doha 2021 Preview Part 3: Women's Singles seeds 5 To 8". edgesandnets.com. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  22. ^ "A Deep Dive Into How Shin Yubin Upset Miu Hirano 3-1". edgesandnets.com. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Chinese Women Cruise To Olympic Gold - Edges and Nets". edgesandnets.com. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Table Tennis: Hirano wins ITTF Breakthrough Star award". Mainichi Shimbun. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  25. ^ "卓球・平野美宇選手がドラマ初出演!!". Fuji TV (in Japanese). 28 May 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  26. ^ "2014 World Tour, Spanish Open, Almeria (ESP)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  27. ^ "2016 World Tour, Polish Open, Warsaw (POL)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  28. ^ "2016 World Tour, Croatia Open, Zagreb (CRO)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  29. ^ "2016 Women's World Cup, Philadelphia (USA)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  30. ^ "2017 ITTF Asian Championships, Wuxi (CHN)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  31. ^ "2019 ITTF World Tour Czech Open, Olomouc (CZE)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  32. ^ "2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Canada Open, Markham (CAN)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  33. ^ "WTT Contender Zagreb 2022". worldtabletennis.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  34. ^ "WTT Feeder Otocec 2022". worldtabletennis.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  35. ^ "WTT Contender Zagreb 2023". worldtabletennis.com. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  36. ^ "2014 World Tour, German Open, Magdeburg (GER)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  37. ^ "2014 World Tour, Spanish Open, Almeria (ESP)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  38. ^ "2014 World Tour, Korea Open, Incheon (KOR)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  39. ^ "2014 World Tour, Grand Finals, Bangkok (THA)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  40. ^ "2015 GAC Group World Tour, Spanish Open, Almeria (ESP)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  41. ^ "2015 GAC Group World Tour, Korea Open, Incheon (KOR)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  42. ^ "2015 ITTF Asian Championships, Pattaya (THA)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  43. ^ "2015 GAC Group World Tour Grand Finals, Lisbon (POR)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  44. ^ "2017 World Tour, German Open, Magdeburg (GER)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  45. ^ "2019 ITTF World Tour Bulgarian Open, Panagyurishte (BUL)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  46. ^ "2019 ITTF World Tour Czech Open, Olomouc (CZE)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  47. ^ "2019 ITTF World Tour Swedish Open, Stockholm (SWE)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  48. ^ "2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open, Magdeburg (GER)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  49. ^ "2020 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open, Budapest (HUN)". ittf.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  50. ^ "WTT Contender Doha 2021". worldtabletennis.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  51. ^ "WTT Star Contender Doha 2021". worldtabletennis.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  52. ^ "WTT Contender Almaty 2022". worldtabletennis.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
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