Japan's Hina Hayata had to settle for a world table tennis championships bronze medal in women's singles on Saturday, after falling to China's world No. 1 Sun Yingsha 4-1 in the semifinals.

Japan's Hina Hayata competes against China's Sun Yingsha in a women's singles semifinal match at the world table tennis championships in Durban, South Africa, on May 27, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Bidding to be the first Japanese woman to reach a singles final since Toshiko Kowada in 1969, Hayata, ranked 10th in the world, had advanced to the semifinals with a win over China's world No. 3, Wang Yidi, in Friday's quarterfinals in Durban, South Africa.

"There is always a higher level. It was a good match, but I still have a long way to go to reach the top," said Hayata, whose bronze is Japan's first medal in women's singles since Miu Hirano's bronze in 2017.

Japan's Hina Hayata acknowledges the crowd after settling for bronze following a loss to China's Sun Yingsha in their women's singles semifinal match at the world table tennis championships in Durban, South Africa, on May 27, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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