The WTT Contender in Taiyuan has showcased the resilience and skill of Chinese paddlers as they progress through the tournament. In the men's singles, home favorite Xiang Peng rebounded after an early setback against Singapore's Pang Koen. Despite losing the first game 11-6, Xiang secured three consecutive victories (11-7, 11-7, 11-9) to advance to the last 16, where he will face Sweden's Kristian Karlsson.
Another thrilling contest featured Chen Yuanyu, who endured a five-game battle against Japan's Maharu Yoshimura. Chen established an early lead by winning the first two games 11-7 and 11-8. Although Yoshimura fought back to capture the next two games (12-10 and 11-7), Chen maintained his composure to win the decider 11-5. He now prepares to take on fellow Chinese competitor Wen Ruibo in the next round.
On the women's side, top seed Qian Tianyi delivered a commanding performance by defeating Japan's Asuka Sasao in three straight games. A nail-biting opening game ended 13-11 before Qian clinched the following two games 11-8 each. She will now face Zhu Yuling of China's Hong Kong in the round of 16.
In additional action, Zong Geman edged out Japan's Anne Uesawa in a closely contested five-game match. After dropping the first game 3-11, Zong bounced back with two wins (11-2, 11-9). Despite a lapse in the fourth game (11-9), she secured the decider 11-9 to progress, and now faces Shi Xunyao in an all-Chinese showdown.
In the mixed doubles, the dynamic pairing of Xiang and Liu Weishan overcame the American duo of Kai Zhang and Zhen Deng in a thrilling four-game encounter. After conceding the first game 13-11, they regrouped and won the next three games 11-3, 11-5, and 14-12, earning a spot in the quarterfinals against the top-seeded home pair Xue Fei and Qian.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
