China's table tennis star Wang Chuqin enjoyed a landmark day at the World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash in Beijing on Wednesday, securing wins in men's singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles to advance into the next rounds.
In the men's singles second round, Wang met Poland's Milosz Redzimski for the first time on the WTT Tour. He opened strongly with 11-7 and 11-4 victories, but Redzimski stormed back to take the next two games 12-10 and 11-8. In the deciding fifth game, Wang bounced back from a 2-4 deficit, ripping off three points to lead 8-5 and eventually closed it out 11-8.
"I got a lucky win," Wang admitted, reflecting on how he analysed each game to adjust his tactics on the fly. Redzimski said he was disappointed after missing a chance to topple the world No. 1.
Later in men's doubles, Wang paired with Lin Shidong to beat Sweden's former world champions Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson 11-8, 11-5, 11-5. "Compared to the Singapore Smash, we had more communication and better chemistry this time," Lin noted.
On the mixed doubles court, Wang and partner Sun Yingsha swept past compatriots Chen Yuanyu and Kuai Man 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 to reach the semifinals, where they will face Brazil's Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi. "We approached this match with a challenger's mindset," Sun said, praising Wang's consistency after his third match of the day.
Other highlights from Beijing included China's Liang Jingkun and Chen Junsong advancing in men's singles, and seventh-seeded France's Felix Lebrun edging out Chen Yuanyu in five games. On the women's side, Wang Manyu, Kuai Man and Shi Xunyao all moved forward in straight games. In doubles, Wang Manyu and Kuai, Wang Xiaotong and Xu Yi, plus Chen Xingtong and Qian Tianyi secured spots in the women's doubles quarterfinals.
With the field narrowing, the China Smash is heating up – stay tuned as the tournament races toward its thrilling conclusion.
Reference(s):
Wang Chuqin wins three matches at China Smash, through in three events
cgtn.com
