Harimoto and Hayata crowned in Frankfurt

Tomokazu Harimoto clinched his tenth title, breaking Patrick Franziska’s heart by beating him 2-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 in his own backyard at the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2026.

Earlier, Hina Hayata retained the women’s singles title she won in Germany twelve months ago, beating compatriot Satsuki Odo 12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6.

Despite having lost nine out of 10 of their previous meeting across all competitions, Franziska came out on top in his most recent match against Harimoto, beating the World No.3 3-2 in the Round of 16 at Singapore Smash. 

Doing it again, however, would be a big ask. Franziska had given everything to get this far, and Harimoto knows exactly what it takes to win at this level, claiming the first-ever WTT Champions title in 2022 and winning it twice in Yokohama. 

However, Franziska did start where he left off against Harimoto, flying to eight Game Points in the opener, giving Süwag Energie Arena an early reason to celebrate.

Harimoto, who has reached at least the semifinals in all but one WTT Champions event this season, was never going to let the cauldron of an atmosphere inside Infinity ∞ Arena get to him, and he came roaring back to lead 5-1 in the second. 

This match was already a thriller, and Franziska took the lead at 6-7 to make it even more exciting. But it wasn’t long before Harimoto was back in front at 9-7. It was hard to keep up with the speed of this match, and the German, competing in back-to-back WTT Champions finals, levelled again at 9-9, forcing Harimoto into an early Time Out, which was just what he needed to take Game Two.

Harimoto, a three-time WTT Champions winner, was on fire now, playing with a lot of aggression and targeting the short forehand area as he blitzed his way to 8-1. Harimoto was loving it, and the cheers he bellowed out at every point were the only sounds coming from the stands now, as he was in absolute control. 

Franziska, facing eight Game Points, would have been 99% sure that he was going to go 2-1 down, but saving as many as he could would give him a huge confidence boost. To everyone’s surprise, ‘the Giant Killer’ saved every single one of them, and then another at 11-10, and the noise inside the arena was back and louder than ever. 

You couldn’t make it up: Franziska, in Frankfurt, stole the game 13:11 and was now leading the final.

Losing a game like that can destroy any player’s focus, but Harimoto is built different, and he kept his nose in front practically the whole way through the fourth to level the match. 

The Harimoto war cry was in full voice now, and the nine-time WTT title winner ripped through Franziska, smashing the third ball and limiting his opponent to scraps as he set up six Game Points in the fifth and was one game away from the title. 

Franziska, fighting to become the first German to win a WTT Champions title, had already proved in Game Three, and when he beat World No.1 Sora Matsushima in the quarterfinals, that he could do the impossible, and now he would have to do it again. 

Leading 4-1, the Saudi Smash 2024 finalist made a strong start, but when Harimoto went up 5-4, he triggered his Time Out. But that minute away from the table only benefitted Harimoto, who broke Franziska’s spirit as he extended the run to set up six Championship Points. 

Harimoto was utterly ruthless, and while the crowd belonged to Franziska, Frankfurt belonged to the man from Japan, who continues to write his name in WTT history. 

Hina Hayata’s 150th WTT win seals the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2026 title.

Meanwhile, the women’s singles final match promised to give either player the second WTT Champions title of their careers. A victory for Hayata would mean she retained her title from 12 months ago, while for Odo, it would be a significant return to form, having not made a final at this level since she won her debut WTT Champions in Montpellier in 2024.

With so much at stake, it was no surprise that nothing could separate the two national teammates after 12 points, until Hayata broke Odo’s serve to go two points ahead. But Odo was not out of it, and she got the match’s first Game Point, but Hayata, who overcame another national teammate, Miwa Harimoto, in the final last year, withstood that bit of pressure to take Game One.

At the break, Hayata knelt on the floor and was writing down her Game One observations in a notepad. That bit of journaling might have been what powered her through Game Two, as she was fully in control and blew Odo away at 9-2. 

Hayata was flying now, landing seven Game Points after winning what could be the point of the day, hitting a whipping forehand after moving Odo from corner to corner. 

Halfway towards the title, Hayata was playing like a true champion.

“I wonder if the old me would have won against Kuai Man in the quarterfinals. I’ve had a tough time over the past few months because I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. However, I’ve received a lot of support from the head coach, Nakazawa, to help me improve, and I also didn’t avoid facing my true self and reflecting on my own game. I think all of that has led to this result.  I’m sure there will be more difficult times ahead, but I want to continue believing in myself and giving everything I have until the very end, to leave no regrets,” said Hayata.

Into Game Three, the 10-time WTT title winner had to deal with a more aggressive Odo, and despite serving at over 70%, Hayata fell behind at 7-9. Odo held on, and instead of being 3-0 down, she was now trailing by just one. Could this be the moment she turned the final around?

Hayata responded to the setback in the best way possible, dismantling Odo in the fourth, taking her second of six Game Points, and the World No.6 was on the cusp. 

Odo, who reached two WTT Champions quarterfinals this year before coming to Frankfurt, needed to pull off a miracle comeback, and she put her foot on the gas and took a huge step towards that goal when she set up five Game Points.  

But Hayata started her own comeback, and the Japanese star saved three, triggering an Odo Time Out, which did its job, as she was back to within one game. 

Hayata had responded to every game that Odo won by regaining control and taking the next one by a large margin, and in the sixth, she was able to do it again, pulling away from her compatriot after they shared the opening 10 points. 

With four Championship Points, Hayata sealed the victory in style, moving Odo, who was desperately returning everything with all the power she could, from side to side, until one forehand smash was unplayable, confirming her 150th WTT win and the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2026 Women’s Singles title.