In a high-stakes encounter in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, World No. 1 Lin Shidong fought back from an early setback to secure a dramatic five-game victory at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions. South Korea's An Jae-hyun shocked fans by taking the first game 13-11, giving him a brief lead in the intense round-of-16 clash.
Undeterred, Lin recalibrated his strategy and dominated the next two games with emphatic scores of 11-2 and 11-6. Although An tied the contest by winning the fourth game 11-6, Lin's steady performance in the decider—narrowing his opponent’s advantage point by point—culminated in an 11-5 win to book his quarterfinal berth. His next challenge comes against Lin Yun-ju of Chinese Taipei.
On the women's side, top-seeded Sun Yingsha from the host region cruised past Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) with a clean sweep of 11-5, 11-3, and 11-6 to secure her place in the last eight. Japan's No. 5 seed Hina Hayata also advanced with a commanding performance against Brazil's Bruna Takahashi, triumphing in three games with scores of 11-6, 13-11, and 11-9.
This riveting display of skill and resilience not only underscores the unpredictable nature of international table tennis but also resonates with a global audience that values passion, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of excellence on and off the court.
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World No. 1 Lin Shidong survives five-game tussle at WTT Champions
cgtn.com
