Nine-year-old sets record at Japan championships

Nine-year-old Miu Hirano has grabbed the headlines for the second year running with another tearful record at the Japanese table tennis championships. Hirano became the youngest player to appear in senior competition in Tuesday's mixed doubles and matched her early exit with a quick departure from the women's doubles on Wednesday.
The tiny Hirano can barely see over the net at just 137 centimetres tall, but she left with her pride intact after setting the new mark but still burst into tears after losing. On Tuesday, Hirano played mixed doubles with a player 35 years her senior and older than both her parents but fell at the first hurdle, the record being her only consolation.