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Kenta Matsudaira (松平 健太, Matsudaira Kenta, born April 11, 1991) is a Japanese table tennis player. Winner of the 2006 World Junior Championships in singles,[4] he was the world number one junior player in 2008.[5] He is world-renowned for his tomahawk serve, which he has popularized throughout his career. The serve itself is rather unorthodox but still ample in efficiency, making it even more effective due to its unfamiliar nature. His serve has been one of the imperative factors in his illustrious junior career, alongside making him a top 50 player for many years. He also utilizes its reverse variation.[6]
| Kenta Matsudaira | |
|---|---|
 Matsudaira at the 2013 World Championships | |
| Personal information | |
| Nationality |  Japan |
| Born | 11 April 1991[1] Nanao-shi, Ishikawa, Japan |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2] |
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lb; 9.6 st)[2] |
Table tennis career | |
| Playing style | Right-handed, shakehand grip |
| Equipment(s) | Matsudaira Kenta ALC, Tenergy 05 FH, Tenergy 05 BH |
| Highest ranking | 9 (November 2017)[3] |
| Current ranking | 121 (April 2020) |
| Club | T.T Saitama |
Matsudaira became well known on the world stage after his match against the Olympic champion Ma Lin at the 2009 World Table Tennis Championships, where he demonstrated his advanced tomahawk serves, compact and explosive technique, alongside his dynamic backhand control. He won two straight games from a 1–3 deficit and held the lead at 4–1 in the seventh (he lost the set 11–9).[7] Later, he beat Ma 4–1 at the 2013 World Table Tennis Championships in the Round of 64. After progressing to the Round of 16 and beating Vladimir Samsonov 4–3, he lost in the quarter-finals to the bronze medalist, Xu Xin, in 6 games. This is regarded as his best performance in his adult career and was considered to have performed the best out of all of the non-Chinese players. He is ranked 17 in the world as of January, 2017.[8]
References
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- ^ "ITTF players' profiles". ITTF. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ^ a b "Athlete's Profile". 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "ITTF world ranking". International Table Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on April 15, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- ^ "ITTF statistics". ITTF. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ^ "ITTF under 18 world ranking". ITTF. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ^ Marshall, Ian. "Gaining The Plaudits". ITTF. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ^ Marshall, Ian (May 2, 2009). "Olympic Champion Stretched to the Limit as Japanese Heroes Bid Farewell". ITTF. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ "World Table Tennis Championships 2013 Results". www.ittf.com. ITTF. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.