Japan made history at the 2024 ITF Masters 45 World Individual Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

In an all-Japanese Women's 45 Doubles final, the hosts were guaranteed their first ever gold medal.

On the show court in glorious weather at the Ariake Tennis Park, Aiko Ema and Asuka Hashimoto defeated Hitomi Tsukamoto and Masami Watabe 6-2 6-2 to achieve the historic feat in front of an appreciative home crowd.

The gold medal was a reward for Japan after coming so close in the Teams event the previous week - the men finished second to Spain, while the women lost a narrow semi-final to the USA. 

There was another compelling storyline in the Men's singles final, as compatriots and friends Roberto Menendez Ferre and Pedro Nieto Orellana faced off against each other.

After playing each other on the professional tour as 18-year-olds, the Spanish pair had not seen each other since - until they stepped onto the plane together to Tokyo, nearly 30 years later.

While Menendez Ferre stayed on the ATP Tour, reaching a career-high 292, Nieto Orellana chose the US college route. The duo linked up effectively to secure the gold medal for Spain in the Teams competition, before competing against each other in the Individuals.

As expected, an entertaining final oozing with quality ensued. Nieto Orellana came out of the traps quickly and raced to a 6-2 first set, before Menendez Ferre hit back with an impressive 6-2 set of his own.

The rallies were brutal as each tested the other to the limit physically and mentally. An exciting deciding set saw Menendez Ferre break early to hold a 3-1 advantage, when the final came to a disappointing conclusion.

Nieto Orellana was forced to retire injured, handing his compatriot and friend victory. Despite the sad ending, the match encapsulated the spirit of the ITF Masters Tour, played in a sportsmanlike atmosphere between two prolific competitors.

"Today was a strange final," Menendez Ferre said after the match.

"Pedro was playing unbelievably in the first set, but in the end it was really sad with Pedro's injury. It is tough because he is my friend, I was crying a little bit for him."

"It's a funny history, Pedro and I trained together in Barcelona when we were 15 or 16, and then we didn't see each other again until last week on the plane! It was great and really funny."

The women's singles final also saw two compatriots and gold-medal teammates play each other. Julie Thu, the top seed, faced fellow American Hiromi Sasano on a sun-bathed show court on finals day.

While Thu had cruised through the draw, Sasano had fought back from a set and 5-2 down to Mirja Wagner in the semi-finals to secure her place in the gold medal match.

A nervy but impressive encounter unfolded between the two friends, as Thu took the lead with a 6-4 first set.

The top seed and former top 300 WTA player took complete control of the match as she advanced to a 5-2 lead in the second set - the depth and consistency of her hitting proving too much for the frustrated Sasano.

However, Sasano managed to claw her way back into the match, holding and then breaking back for 4-5. In a tense final game, Thu managed to see out the victory to seal a 6-4 6-4 win and secure her first ever World Individual Championship. The win also doubled her medal haul over the two weeks in Tokyo, following the Teams victory for the USA.

"It's been an amazing week," Thu said after her win.

"We'd actually never played each other, so it was a tough match against my teammate. It was a physical and mental battle and I had to dig deep to win against my friend."

"Tokyo is a great city, it's been loads of fun and I really enjoyed playing here."

The Men's Doubles final did not disappoint, either. American Trent Miller, who would later compete in the Mixed Doubles final, teamed up with compatriot Rodolfo Rodriguez against Portuguese pair Nuno Matias and Antonio Moura.

Moura and Matias, who had earlier lost a physical battle to Menendez Ferre in the singles semi-final, could not keep pace with the Americans in the first set. A double break secured a 6-2 advantage for Miller and Rodriguez and an early break in the second set put the duo firmly on course for the gold medal. However, the Portuguese pair battled hard and fought their way back to 5-5 to create a nervy ending.

Ultimately, the Americans held firm to secure a 6-2 7-5 victory and an impressive win on their World Championships debut.

The final match of the 2024 45+ World Individual Championships provided a fitting finale to the showpiece event in Tokyo. Miller and Sasano, each in their second final in as many days, teamed up against the Dutch pair Dennis Bank and Caroline De Vries.

De Vries and Bank romped to an impressive 6-1 opening set, before the Americans fought back to claim the second 6-3. In a rollercoaster of a match tie-break, Sasano and Miller found their best tennis when it mattered to wrap up a 1-6 6-3 10-6 victory and, with it, the 2024 World Championships.

You can find the full results here: World Individual Championships (45) Draws and Results