The tournament concluded on November 7 at Ariake Tennis Forest Park.
Sugimoto's run to the men's singles final and the championship in men's doubles, alongside partner Mizuno, capped a remarkable week for the Meiji contingent.
The victory was a direct response to their relegation to the second division of the fall league just a month prior.
The pair won the first seven games of the match, cruising to a 6-0 first-set victory. “We started without overthinking, just focusing on our own game,” Sugimoto explained.
Despite their early success, the Meiji pair faced a challenge in the second set. However, the turning point came in the ninth game, with the score tied at 4-4.
“In the singles final, I felt the tension when victory was near and couldn’t finish,” Sugimoto said. “In the doubles, I refused to make the same mistake.” Facing 0-15 on his serve, Sugimoto refocused. “I just concentrated on the next point,” he said. He powered through with strong serves, and his partner Mizuno sealed the game with a perfectly placed shot. They closed out the set 6-4.
The win sets up Mizuno and Sugimoto for the All Japan Student Indoor Championships in December, where they aim to build on last year’s runner-up finish.
Ultimately, they fell 6(3)-7, 7-6(3), 1-10 in a match tiebreak.
The Meiji pair trailed early in the first set, 2-5, before mounting a comeback to force a tiebreak, which they lost 3-7. “We realized we weren’t being aggressive enough,” Fujii said of their strategy adjustment between sets.
The second set saw a repeat pattern. Goto and Fujii built a 5-2 lead, only to see their opponents battle back to 6-6. Once again, they won the tiebreak 7-3, leveling the match. The decisive 10-point match tiebreak proved to be their undoing. “We were nervous in our first final,” Goto reflected.
“Our individual strength has grown, and our understanding of each other is deeper,” Fujii said. They now set their sights on the All Japan Student Indoor Championships, aiming for a national championship.
“When our captain Mizuno lost in the second round of singles, we felt we had to win the doubles for him,” Sugimoto explained.
