Las Vegas lit up on Sunday as the Chinese mainland's World No. 1 Sun Yingsha squared off against Australia's World No. 33 Yangzi Liu in a gripping first-round match at the WTT US Smash.
Sun opened with authority, racing to a 4-0 lead and closing out the first game 11-7 with a decisive three-point run. Yet Liu wasn't intimidated1she stormed through the second game, leveraging aggressive shots and capitalizing on uncharacteristic errors to level the match 1-1 with an 11-6 win.
Undeterred, Sun reset her focus in game three, dominating from the outset and cruising to an 11-4 victory. But Liu struck back in game four, building an 8-1 advantage and seizing the 11-4 win to force a thrilling decider.
The final game was a showcase of Sun's resilience. After trading points early, she pulled away from 6-4 to 10-4, sealing the match 11-4. Sun's 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 4-11, 11-4 triumph earns her a spot in the round of 32, where she'll meet Egypt's rising star Hana Goda.
This rollercoaster encounter highlights the depth and unpredictability of today's table tennis sceneproof that even the sport's elite must stay sharp from the first serve to the final point.
Reference(s):
China's Sun Yingsha beats Liu in five games to advance in WTT US Smash
cgtn.com
