Ito and Hirano defeated Poland's Natalia Partyka, a three-time Paralympic champion, and Katarzyna Grzybowska in a gripping gold medal match at the Sports Authority of Thailand Indoor Stadium in Bangkok. 

The teenage double act beat the same opponents in March to set the same record at the ITTF World Tour Super Series German Open. 

"We knew we could beat them, but of course this was a new match and it was a very special match," said Ito after the 11-7, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 victory.

"We knew it would be hard to win today."

Hirano added: "We have both practiced such a great deal.

"So I think we have a very good level of technical skills which helped a lot."

As well as winning the women's doubles crown, the girls will also receive a cheque for $40,000 (£25,500/€32,100). 

"We are going to buy lots and lots of presents for our family and friends," they said. 

"We are so excited about this money."

Mima Ito (left) and Miu Hirano (right) in action during the women's doubles final
©Getty Images







Japan didn't have it all their own way though as men's pairing Kenta Matsudaira and Koki Niwa lost out to South Korea's Cho Eonrae and Seo Hyundeok. 

"During the timeout, our coach told us that we must really focus on our services and play fast from the backhand", said Cho.

"We were both a little tense during the last two points, but the top spin from the backhand by Hyundeok made all the difference."

The singles event is at the semi-finals stage, with the winners being determined tomorrow. 

A total of seven different countries make up the four men's and four women's semi-final positions, demonstrating the depth of international table tennis. 

Japan's Jun Mizutani and Hong Kong's Tang Peng meet Portugal's Marcos Freitas and Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov respectively in a battle between Asia and Europe in the men's last four, with the absence of Chinese players creating opportunities for others.

Hungary's Georgina Pota, one of the most improved players of this year, faces Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa for a place in the women's final, while South Korea's Seo Hyowon goes up against Singapore's Yu Mengyu. 

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