The World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash is gearing up for an exciting semifinal round exclusively featuring Chinese players, much to the delight of fans at Shougang Park in Beijing. After intense quarterfinal matches, the semifinals promise high-stakes action and showcase the depth of talent within the host nation.
In the men's singles bracket, Lin Shidong and Xiang Peng have secured their spots by defeating their international opponents in fiercely contested matches. Lin overcame Denmark's Anders Lind with scores of 12-10, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7, while Xiang battled Sweden's Truls Moregard in a gripping seven-game match, ultimately prevailing 11-5 in the decisive seventh game.
On the other side of the bracket, Liang Jingkun edged out his fellow Chinese player, Lin Gaoyuan, in a rollercoaster match that concluded with a score of 1-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-3. His semifinal opponent will be none other than veteran Ma Long, who showcased his prowess by defeating Brazil's Hugo Calderano in a straightforward match with scores of 11-7, 11-4, 11-7, 11-7.
\"Today's match was smoother than I had expected,\" Ma Long told reporters. \"Hugo has improved a lot in recent years and his performance has been steadily good. He has won a lot of titles and reached the semifinals at the Olympic Games. The competition today went better than I thought.\"
Reference(s):
Home paddlers take all spots in both singles semifinals at China Smash
cgtn.com
