Harimoto and Odo rise to No. 1 in women’s doubles rankings

Miwa Harimoto and Satsuki Odo have turned Zagreb into the launchpad for Japan’s next doubles power center. Their WTT Contender Zagreb title pushed them to No. 1 in the ITTF women’s doubles rankings for Week 25, and the result looked less like a spike than a confirmation of how strong their 2026 partnership had become.

The Japanese pair won the final in straight games, beating South Korea’s Lee Eunhye and Choi Hyojoo 3-0 with a sharp 11-5, 13-11, 11-7 scoreline. They did not merely survive the decisive stages in Croatia; they controlled them, after also getting through the semifinal with a 3-1 win over China’s Chen Yi and Kuai Man. Those results gave Harimoto and Odo the kind of title run that rankings are designed to reward: clean, decisive, and built against high-level opposition.

What makes the rise more compelling is how often Harimoto and Odo were also on opposite sides of the table in Zagreb. Harimoto beat Odo 3-1 in the women’s singles round of 16, a reminder that Japan’s newest doubles No. 1 pairing is made up of two players strong enough to test each other in singles while still combining at the top of the doubles game. That dual edge matters. It suggests both players bring real individual quality into the partnership, not just complementary roles.

The Week 25 rankings, published on 15 June 2026, also underline the depth behind the move to No. 1. Harimoto sits at No. 1 in women’s doubles individual ranking points, with Odo at No. 4, a spread that reflects their status as central figures in the event’s current power structure rather than a one-off surprise. Japan’s wider performance in Zagreb reinforced the point, with the country taking three of the five titles on offer.

For Japan, this was more than one trophy. Harimoto and Odo left Croatia as the new standard-bearers in women’s doubles, and the way they won in Zagreb makes the ranking change feel like the start of a run, not the end of one.