Miu Hirano: the Japanese star who won the World Cup at 16

Miu Hirano is one of the names that shaped Japanese women's table tennis over the past decade. She won the World Cup very young, took medals at the Worlds and at two Olympics, and in 2026 she won a WTT singles title again. This page covers Miu Hirano's career, titles and playing style.

Who is Miu Hirano

Miu Hirano was born on 14 April 2000 in Numazu, Japan. She is right-handed, plays the shakehand grip and is described as a counter driver. She is 1.58 m tall.

Miu Hirano's titles

From the World Cup to the Worlds

In October 2016 in Philadelphia, Hirano won the World Cup, becoming the youngest champion in its history and the first non-Chinese woman to win it. In 2017 she won the Asian Championships by beating Chen Meng in the final, then reached the semi-finals at the Düsseldorf World Championships. That secured the bronze and ended a 48-year wait for a Japanese women's singles medal at the Worlds.

The Olympics and the comeback

Hirano took team silver at Tokyo 2020 and repeated it at Paris 2024, alongside Hina Hayata and Miwa Harimoto. In Paris she also reached the singles quarter-finals, where she lost in seven games to South Korea's Shin Yu-bin. In July 2023 she had won WTT Contender Zagreb by beating then world No. 1 Sun Yingsha in the final.

2026 on the WTT circuit

In 2026 she was a finalist at the Star Contender Chennai and, in September, won WTT Contender Almaty, beating Hina Hayata 4-1 in the final. In doubles, with Miyuu Kihara, she won Almaty, Contender Panagyurishte and Star Contender Astana. In October 2026 she is world No. 26 in singles. See the table tennis world ranking.

Playing style

• Fast counter-attacking: she returns with power and uses her opponent's pace.
• Close-to-the-table play, accelerating the ball early. See playing styles.
• Shakehand grip, with active forehand and backhand. Compare in shakehand vs penhold.
• Doubles experience, with titles alongside Mima Ito, Hina Hayata, Kasumi Ishikawa and now Miyuu Kihara.

Recent results on the tour

Year	Wins	Losses
2026	22	3
Total	22	3

W	WTT Star Contender Astana 2026 - President’s Cup 2026-09-19	Women's doubles Final	Hashimoto Honoka / Adriana Diaz JPN/PUR vs Hirano Miu / Kihara Miyuu JPN 1-3 11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 5-11
L	WTT Star Contender Astana 2026 - President’s Cup 2026-09-19	Women's singles Quarterfinals	Hirano Miu JPN vs Odo Satsuki JPN 0-3 6-11, 9-11, 9-11
W	WTT Star Contender Astana 2026 - President’s Cup 2026-09-19	Women's singles Round of 16	Zhu Sibing CHN vs Hirano Miu JPN 1-3 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 14-16
W	WTT Star Contender Astana 2026 - President’s Cup 2026-09-18	Women's doubles Semifinals	Wang Yidi / Han Feier CHN vs Hirano Miu / Kihara Miyuu JPN 1-3 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 4-11
W	WTT Star Contender Astana 2026 - President’s Cup 2026-09-18	Women's singles Round of 32	Han Feier CHN vs Hirano Miu JPN 0-3 8-11, 7-11, 7-11
W	WTT Star Contender Astana 2026 - President’s Cup 2026-09-18	Women's doubles Quarterfinals	Gaia Monfardini / Filippa Bergand ITA/SWE vs Hirano Miu / Kihara Miyuu JPN 0-3 3-11, 3-11, 10-12
W	WTT Star Contender Astana 2026 - President’s Cup 2026-09-17	Women's doubles Round of 16	Hirano Miu / Kihara Miyuu JPN vs Wang Xiaotong / Shi Xunyao CHN 3-0 11-4, 11-9, 13-11
W	WTT Contender Panagyurishte 2026 2026-09-13	Women's doubles Final	Hirano Miu / Kihara Miyuu JPN vs Nicole Arlia / Gaia Monfardini ITA 3-0 13-11, 11-7, 11-7

Hirano Miu's results

Source: WTT official results. Updated October 31, 2026. worldtabletennis.com

Frequently asked questions