Wang Chuqin, the worldâs No. 1 menâs singles table tennis player from the Chinese mainland, ushered in the Year of the Snake with an impressive 3-0 victory over Japanâs Yukiya Uda in the first round of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash on Sunday.
The match started on a challenging note for Wang as Uda took an early lead of 9-6. However, Wang demonstrated his resilience by leveling the score at 9-9 before securing the first game with two consecutive points. The second game saw Wang dominate, building an early lead and winning the frame 11-5 with ease.
In the final game, the competition intensified as Uda fought back, keeping the score tight until Wang delivered a powerful smash to clinch the match 3-0. Moving forward, Wang will face Singaporean wild-card Koen Pang in the next round.
The Chinese mainland continued its strong performance with two more players advancing in the menâs singles event. Qualifier Huang Youzheng triumphed over Iranâs Noshad Alamian with scores of 14-12, 12-10, 11-4 and is set to compete against Germanyâs No. 8 seed Patrick Franziska. Additionally, Chen Yuanyu defeated Paraguayâs Marcelo Aguirre 11-7, 11-7, 2-11, 11-6, positioning himself to challenge South Koreaâs 12th seed Jang Woo-jin in the upcoming round.
On the womenâs side, Chinese mainlandâs No. 4 seed Chen Xingtong easily overcame Lam Yee Lok of Hong Kong with scores of 11-3, 11-7, 11-3. Second-seeded Wang Manyu secured her place in the next round by defeating Egyptâs Dina Meshref 11-8, 11-7, 11-9. Additionally, No. 15 seed Kuai Man edged out Portugalâs Fu Yu 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7 to advance.
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Wang Chuqin begins Year of the Snake with win at WTT Singapore Smash
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