This afternoon in the Macao SAR, Shanghai’s Olympic gold medalist Fan Zhendong topped the podium by defeating Hainan’s World No. 2 Lin Shidong 4-1 in the men’s singles final at China’s 15th National Games.
At 28, Fan secured his second major title since stepping away from ITTF world rankings in January and became only the second player, after Ma Long, to defend the National Games singles crown. This victory also marked his 10th overall medal at China’s top domestic multi-sport event—the most among active paddlers.
The match began with Lin racing to a 9-4 lead in game one, but Fan rallied to take it 11-9. Lin leveled the score by winning game two 11-8, his standout moment of the afternoon.
Fan then seized control, cruising to an 11-5 win in game three and dominating game four 11-3. In the decisive fifth game, he surged ahead 4-0 and closed out the match 11-4 to seal the 4-1 victory.
Earlier today, Beijing’s rising star Wang Chuqin secured bronze by defeating Liaoning’s Yuan Licen 4-1, rounding out a podium that underscores China’s depth in paddle sports.
For global sports fans and digital nomads following major events, Fan’s win highlights China’s enduring strength in table tennis and sets the stage for more high-stakes clashes ahead.
Reference(s):
Fan defeats Lin in men's singles table tennis final at National Games
cgtn.com
