Doha turned into a table tennis thriller on Thursday as second-seeded Wang Chuqin of the Chinese mainland stormed back from 0-2 down to defeat Simon Gauzy of France 9-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-9, 11-4, 11-8 at the ITTF World Championships Finals. The comeback propelled Wang into the quarterfinals.
Facing the threat of an early upset, Wang admitted the nerves got to him: "I was too nervous at the beginning. I thought too much and was too conservative. I let my opponent control the rhythm," he said.
In a symbolic shift, Wang switched to a short-sleeved jersey before the third game and flipped the momentum. "Putting on the short-sleeved jersey pulled me out of the match for a moment. I felt calmer and more collected," he recalled.
World No. 43 Gauzy gave his own performance high marks: "Wang was not at his best at the beginning, while I was. It's hard to handle his power and speed," he noted.
Elsewhere on the men’s side, the Chinese mainland's top seed Lin Shidong swept Sweden's Anton Kallberg 4-0 to reach the quarterfinals, where he’ll face compatriot Liang Jingkun.
On the women’s bracket, top seed Sun Yingsha weathered a scare before overcoming ninth-seeded Shin Yu-bin of the ROK 4-2, booking her spot against Japan's seventh seed Satsuki Odo in the last eight.
In mixed doubles, the duo of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha bounced back from a slow start to edge Japan’s Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto 3-1 (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9) in the quarterfinals.
The day ended on a tougher note for the Chinese mainland in men’s doubles. Third seeds Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong were upset by the Chinese Taipei team of Kao Cheng-Jui and Lin Yun-Ju, who prevailed 11-5, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8.
As the quarterfinals loom, the tournament’s momentum is building, promising high-stakes matchups and intense drama in Doha.
Reference(s):
Wang Chuqin fights into last eight at Table Tennis World Championships
cgtn.com
