Chinese paddlers experience mixed fortunes at 2024 WTT Finals

KITAKYUSHU, Japan, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals continued with Chinese paddlers advancing to the semifinals in both men's and women's singles while the women's duo Qian Tianyi/Chen Xingtong faced elimination, marking a bittersweet day here on Friday.

In the men's singles quarterfinals, defending champion Wang Chuqin faced off against Truls Moregard of Sweden in a highly anticipated matchup. Wang started strong, taking the first game 11-6. In the second game, Moregard regained his footing, surging to an 8-2 lead. Wang rallied to close the gap to 9-10, prompting Moregard to call a timeout. The Swedish Olympic silver medalist returned to secure the final point and level the match. Wang, however, maintained his composure and won the next two games, sealing a 3-1 victory to book his spot in the semifinals.

"I approached this match as a challenger," Wang said post-match. "You could see that he has made significant progress and is in excellent form, so I had to give my all for every point." Wang will next face Slovenia's Darko Jorgic, who earlier defeated Germany's Benedikt Duda 3-0.

Elsewhere, world No. 2 Lin Shidong faced Qiu Dang of Germany in another quarterfinal match. Despite Qiu taking early leads in the first two games, Lin displayed resilience, turning the tables to win both. In the third game, Lin dominated with an 8-1 lead and fended off Qiu's counterattacks to close out the match 11-7, securing a straight-set victory and a place in the semifinals.

Speaking about his upcoming match against Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Lin noted, "We've played each other multiple times recently, and tomorrow he'll have the home-court advantage. I'll prepare for a tough battle and give it my all."

In the women's singles, three of the four semifinalists were from China. Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong advanced with 3-1 and 3-0 wins over Japan's Miwa Harimoto and Miu Hirano, respectively, setting up an all-Chinese semifinal clash.

In another match, Wang Manyu triumphed over teammate Qian Tianyi in four games 11-5, 6-11, 11-2, 11-8 in an intra-squad contest. "When you're playing a teammate who knows you so well, it's hard to score with quick or surprising plays," Wang explained. "It becomes more about skills and consistency in the rallies." She will face Romania's Bernadette Szocs in the semifinals.

The Chinese women's doubles pair Qian Tianyi and Chen Xingtong fell 0-3 to Japan's defensive duo of Hitomi Sato and Honoka Hashimoto in the semifinals. Sato and Hashimoto will meet compatriots Satsuki Odo and Sakura Yokoi in the final, ensuring an all-Japanese podium in women's doubles.

In the men's doubles final, France's Lebrun brothers will compete against Japan's Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami.

The WTT Finals will run from November 20 to 24. ■