In the early morning of May 21, Beijing time, the Durban World Table Tennis Championships ended the first day of competition, and the national table tennis ended the first day with a record of winning all five games without losing a game, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Chen Meng and Chen Xingtong all defeated their opponents in the singles match, and the mixed doubles combination of Lin Shidong and Quang Man also swept the host player to advance to the next round. However, foreign association players were unexpected, world champion Matthias Falk was eliminated by Lin Zhaoheng in the men's singles 1/64 final, and women's singles No. 10 seed Polkanova also broke out and suffered a round of swimming. Sweden's Anton Kalberg was reversed after a strong lead and did not qualify for the next round.
Men's Singles 1/64 Final: Liang Jingkun 4-0 Alfred della Pena (New Zealand)
The first to represent the national table tennis was Liang Jingkun, whose opponent was Alfred de la Pena from New Zealand, and it was the first time the two met in singles matches. Liang Jingkun is known for his fierce playing style, and the quality of the first three boards is relatively high, especially the connection of the forehand and backhand is very fast. Facing a mediocre Alfred Della Pena in the first round, Liang Jingkun did not give his opponent any chance, winning easily 11-8, 11-9, 11-2 and 11-3, and in the next round, Liang Jingkun faced Maharu Yoshimura from Japan.
Men's Singles 1/64 Final: Malone 4-0 Gaston-Alto (Argentina)
Malone faced Gaston Alto from Argentina in the first round, a duel between two veterans, Malone is 34 years old, while Gaston Alto is older, already 37 years old. Malone is ranked third in the world, while Gaston Alto is outside the 100th, and the two are very different in strength. Without any surprises, Malone won comfortably 4-0 in straight sets, 11-5, 11-2, 11-3 and 11-8, and in the next round, Ma Long faced Wang Zhen from Canada.
Women's Singles 1/64 Final: Chen Meng 4-0 Yusla Hermi (Egypt)
Chen Meng is one of the main favorites for the women's singles event of this tournament and an important opportunity for her to hit the Grand Slam. In addition to the singles competition, she also partnered with Wang Yidi in the women's doubles event. Chen Meng, who is alone in the 3/4 area, has potential opponents including many famous players such as Misei Ito, and it is obviously not an easy thing for Chen Meng to win a heavy battle from it. In the first round, Chen Meng faced Yusla Hermi from Egypt, and his opponent was limited and could not pose any threat to Chen Meng, Chen Meng won four consecutive games 11-5, 11-1, 11-5 and 11-4, swept his opponent 4-0 and successfully advanced to the next round.
Women's Singles 1/64 Final: Chen Xingtong 4-0 Sarah Denute (Luxembourg)
Chen Xingtong's opponent in the first round is Sarah Denut from Luxembourg, although the strength of this opponent is not very outstanding, but in the World Table Tennis Championships, Sarah Denut has also achieved more outstanding results, she once partnered with veteran Ni Xialian and won the bronze medal in the women's doubles event of the World Table Tennis Championships. However, in the singles event, Sarah Denute had a hard time causing substantial trouble for Chen Xingtong, who won 4-0 and the four sets were 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 and 11-3, and Sarah Denut did not get any chances. In the next round, Chen Xingtong's opponent is Lee Shiwen from South Korea.
Mixed Doubles 1/32 Final: Lin Shidong/Quang Man 3-0 Natu/Patel (South Africa)
The mixed doubles duo composed of Lin Shidong and Kuman, a young player of National Table Tennis, has never appeared in the three major competitions before, but the newborn calf is not afraid of tigers, although this is the first time the two have stood on the stage of the World Table Tennis Championships, but facing the host combination of Natu/Patel, Lin Shidong and Kuman won very easily, winning 11-5, 11-4 and 11-4, thus winning 3-0, and in the next round, Lin Shidong and Kuman's opponent is a combination of Zelinka and Kukulova from Slovakia.
Three major upsets broke out in one day, and the world champion was out
The World Series has never lacked upsets, and this one is no exception. In the men's singles event, Sweden's Matthias Falk lost 1-4 to Hong Kong's Lin Zhaoheng in a round of travel. Matthias Falk is the men's singles seed and world champion of this tournament, which is a surprise upset. The 10th seed in the women's singles Sofia Polkanova was defeated by Hungary's Dora Madarac after a 3-1 lead to go 3-4. Men's singles 22nd seed Anton Kalberg was also reversed with a lead and suffered a round.