Beijing, March 21(Xinhua) -- On the evening of March 20, Beijing time, the WTT Singapore Grand Slam Tournament came to an end, and the Chinese team won all 5 individual championships. In the final men's singles final, China's Fan Zhendong and Ma Long ushered in a 7-inning battle, and finally Fan Zhendong defeated Ma Long 4:3 to win the championship.
Image source: The official Weibo of the World Table Tennis Professional League.
In the final, Fan Zhendong took the lead, and he took advantage of the backhand attack to go down to the two cities first at 11:6 and 11:6.
Since the third set, Malone adjusted his state, strengthened the attack of the first three boards, and mastered the game initiative by mobilizing Fan Zhendong, who won three consecutive sets of 11:6, 11:9, and 11:8 to achieve a counter-score.
In the fourth set, Malone led 6:1, but after that, Fan Zhendong stabilized his position and constantly looked for opportunities during the two-man stand-up to catch up with the score. After the two sides drew 8:8, he scored three consecutive points to drag the match into the decider. In the decider, Fan Zhendong took the initiative from the beginning of the game and finally won 11:7.
This is Fan Zhendong's second title in this tournament, after his partner Wang Chuqin won the men's doubles title. After the game, Fan Zhendong hoped that everyone would give all the applause to Ma Long, "He is an admirable teammate and opponent, and (Ma Long's) usual attitude, including the purity of the court, is the aspect that he has to try to get close to him." In addition, Fan Zhendong also expressed his gratitude to the fans who supported him.
Ma Long also sent praise to Fan Zhendong, "I think Fan Zhendong is indeed the strongest player in the world now. He said that Fan Zhendong's strength is not only reflected in the world rankings, but also in terms of his ability to control the game, which has reached a higher level. (End)