Harimoto Defeats Kuai Man 4-3 to Claim WTT Champions Chongqing Title

Miwa Harimoto delivered a statement performance in Chongqing on Sunday, defeating world No. 5 Kuai Man 4-3 in a seven-game women's singles final to win the WTT Champions Chongqing 2026 title. The 17-year-old Japanese player outlasted Kuai 11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, closing out the match with a dominant display of forehand power in the deciding set.

The final was the latest chapter in a rapidly evolving rivalry between the two players. Harimoto had beaten Kuai 4-0 at the 2025 Champions Incheon event, only to suffer a 4-1 reversal at the Asian Cup in February. Sunday's result settled the score again, with Harimoto taking the most important match of the three.

The decider told the story of the match in miniature. Kuai, who had been aggressive and opportunistic throughout the week, ran out of answers in the seventh game. Harimoto seized an immediate 3-0 lead with forehand attacks and kept pressing, pulling away with a series of killing shots to close the set 11-5 and secure the title.

Kuai's path to the final had been genuinely impressive. The world No. 5 ousted China's own Sun Yingsha, ranked first in the world, in the quarterfinals, one of the week's defining upsets. Kuai then beat compatriot Wang Yidi in the semifinals to book her place in the final.

That Sun Yingsha elimination reframed the entire tournament. With the top seed gone in the quarterfinals, the draw was blown open, and Harimoto made the most of the opportunity, navigating to the final and then winning it with a performance that underlined why she has been one of the most watched young players on the WTT circuit. The week in Chongqing belonged, ultimately, to her.