Kenta Matsudaira

Kenta Matsudaira
2013 World Table Tennis Championships
Personal information
Nationality	Japanese
Born	April 11, 1991[1] Nanao-shi, Ishikawa, Japan
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Equipment(s)	Timo Boll ALC, Tenergy 05 FH, Tenergy 05 BH
Highest ranking	15 (December 2013)[2]
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[3]
Weight	61 kg (134 lb; 9.6 st)[3]
Medal record World Championships 2016 Kuala Lumpur Team 2010 Moscow Team 2014 Tokyo Team 2015 Suzhou Doubles Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou Doubles 2010 Guangzhou Team 2014 Incheon Doubles 2014 Incheon Team Asian Championships 2013 Busan Team 2013 Busan Singles

Kenta Matsudaira (松平 健太 Matsudaira Kenta) (born 11 April 1991) is a Japanese table tennis player. Winner of 2006 World Junior Championships in boys' singles.^[4] He was ranked as the world number one junior player in 2008.^[5] Kenta has supposedly one of the world's best serves. He serves either a regular tomahawk service or a backhand tomahawk service.^[6]

Kenta became well known after a near upset vs Olympic champion Ma Lin in the 2009 World Table Tennis Championships using his virtually unseen before, advanced tomahawk serves, compact speed technique, and dynamic backhand control. Kenta won two straight games from a 1-3 deficit and held the lead at 4-1 in the seventh. (Kenta lost the set 11-9.)^[7] Later, he beat Ma Lin 4-1 in the 2013 World Table Tennis Championships.

References

1. "ITTF players' profiles". ITTF. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
2. "ITTF world ranking". International Table Tennis Federation. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
3. "Athlete's Profile". 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
4. "ITTF statistics". ITTF. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
5. "ITTF under 18 world ranking". ITTF. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
6. Marshall, Ian. "Gaining The Plaudits". ITTF. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
7. Marshall, Ian (2 May 2009). "Olympic Champion Stretched to the Limit as Japanese Heroes Bid Farewell". ITTF. Retrieved 2010-05-18.