Taiwan's Yeh Finishes Runner-Up in Tashkent Challenger After Loss to Japan's Harimoto

Taiwanese junior table tennis player I-Tien Yeh conceded the women's singles title at the 2026 Tashkent Challenger to Japan's Yu Harimoto. The 18-year-old Yeh fell 0-3 to the equally young Japanese opponent, dubbed "Japan's strange racket player," marking her third consecutive loss to Harimoto.

This runner-up finish is Yeh's second in a challenger event this year, following a similar result at the Pristina Challenger last month. Harimoto, ranked 118th globally, secured her second consecutive challenger title after winning the Ulaanbaatar Challenger the previous week.

In the final match, Yeh struggled to overcome Harimoto's unique playing style. Despite closing the gap in the first game, she ultimately lost 8-11. The second game saw Yeh's backhand consistently pressured by Harimoto's close-range attacks, leading to another 4-11 loss. In the third game, Yeh attempted to increase her forehand attacks, even taking a 7-4 lead, but a subsequent series of errors allowed Harimoto to win 11-8.

Yeh's coach, Chuang Chih-Yuan, acknowledged that Yeh needs further improvement. He noted that Harimoto's style seems to pose a particular challenge for Yeh, and that her in-game adjustments were lacking, resulting in unnecessary errors.

“

Yeh indeed still has areas that need improvement. Perhaps Harimoto's style is relatively disliked by her, and her adjustments on the court today were also a bit lacking, with more unforced errors!