Malmo, Sweden
dash
Chinese table tennis stars continued their run at the WTT Europe Smash, powering through the round of 16 and advancing to the quarterfinals.
World No.1 Sun Yingsha set the tone early, overwhelming Japan’s Hina Hayata 11-5, 11-8, 11-5. After grabbing four quick points in the opener and turning an 8-5 deficit into a 11-8 win, Sun closed the match with five straight points. Next up for the top seed is eighth-seeded Mima Ito of Japan.
Second seed Wang Manyu staged a thrilling comeback against Miyu Nagasaki, fighting back from 1-2 to win 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7). Wang’s clutch serves in the fourth game and decisive performance in the decider set up a quarterfinal clash with Honoka Hashimoto, who stunned fifth seed Wang Yidi earlier.
Meanwhile, 10th seed Chen Yi edged Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi 3-2, sealing the final game 11-4. She’ll take on Germany’s Sabine Winter, fresh from her upset over third-seeded Chen Xingtong.
Fifteenth seed Shi Xunyao also made headlines by defeating fourth-seeded Kuai Man in an all-Chinese round of 16 match. Shi now gears up to face Japan’s ninth seed Satsuki Odo in the quarters.
In men’s singles, World No.1 Lin Shidong remained China’s sole contender, topping Germany’s Ricardo Walther 3-1 (11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-4). He’ll challenge fourth-seeded Dang Qiu of Germany for a semifinal spot.
Lin and partner Huang Youzheng also advanced in men’s doubles, beating Belgium’s Martin Allegro and Adrien Rassenfosse in four games. The third seeds will face Singapore’s Izaac Quek and Koen Pang next.
On the women’s doubles front, top seeds Sun and Wang swept Hana Matelova of the Czech Republic and Barbora Balazova of Slovakia 11-7, 11-7, 11-7. Their quarterfinal foe: South Korea’s Kim Na-yeong and Ryu Han-na.
Finally, China’s top mixed doubles duo Lin and Kuai reached the final by brushing aside Romania’s Eduard Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs. They’ll vie for gold against South Korea’s second seeds Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin.
With precision serves, aggressive offense, and strategic adjustments, China’s players have stamped their authority in Malmo. As the knockout stages heat up, global fans are watching to see if they’ll sweep the podium once again.
Reference(s):
Chinese table tennis players continue to grab wins at WTT Europe Smash
cgtn.com
