In the early morning of May 28, Beijing time, the competition for the men's singles semifinals of the 2023 Durban World Table Tennis Championships staged a civil war between national table tennis players. Ma Long, who participated in the individual competition of the World Table Tennis Championships for the eighth time, lost 1-4 to Wang Chuqin, and missed the final, and the dream of four championships in the men's singles of the World Table Tennis Championships was shattered. After the game, Malone touched the table a few times before turning away, like an affectionate farewell.
Looking back on Ma Long's career, he has won consecutive men's singles championships in Suzhou in 2015, Dusseldorf in 2017, and the World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest in 2019, becoming the second after Zhuang Zedong to have a men's singles championship. The Chinese athletes of the Brad Reproduction Cup are known by fans as the all-around "hexagonal warriors".
Recalling the 2019 Budapest World Table Tennis Championships, Ma Long, who was only listed as the 11th seed in the competition, attacked his three consecutive World Table Tennis Championships. This is his third time entering the final of the World Table Tennis Championships, and the first time he has encountered an external battle in the final, and finally he defeated Falk 4-1, completing the feat of winning three consecutive World Table Tennis Championships. That year, Ma Long also partnered with Wang Chuqin to win the gold medal in men's doubles.
In the men's singles table tennis competition at the Tokyo Olympics, Ma Long defeated teammate Fan Zhendong 4-2, becoming the first player in Olympic history to defend the men's singles champion of table tennis, and achieved a double-lap Grand Slam, that is, twice won the singles championship of the Olympic Games, the World Table Tennis Championships and the World Cup. In the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston, although Ma Long regretted his absence for some reason, he still maintained strong strength and good competitive condition.
2023 is Ma Long's 20th year on the national team, and he currently holds 27 world championships, demonstrating his dominance in the table tennis world. This year, Ma Long, who has witnessed 18 direct competitions, won the men's singles championship of the first selection tournament of the National Table Tennis Durban World Table Tennis Championships, and was the first to get a direct place to participate in the Durban World Table Tennis Championships. In this regard, Wang Hao, the head coach of the men's team, believes that Ma Long can still let everyone see that there is room for improvement at this age, and this spirit is worth learning from everyone.
This Durban World Table Tennis Championships is Ma Long's 8th individual World Table Tennis Championships journey, which is a very worthy moment for fans. After winning the first round of the men's singles, Malone said modestly: "I didn't set myself any goals this time, I don't know how long I can play, and I don't know if I still have a chance to participate in the next World Championships, so I just hope not to leave Durban with any regrets." ”
In this event, Ma Long, as a three-time winner of the men's singles championship of the World Table Tennis Championships, still showed excellent strength, and he passed all the way to the semifinals and successfully met his teammate Wang Chuqin. The two sides fought for 5 games, and finally Ma Long lost 1-4 to Wang Chuqin, missing the fourth personal World Table Tennis Championships. Wang Chuqin expressed his respect for the Dragon Team after the game: "Brother Long has taken my big brother since he was a child, and he regards Ma Long as a career example, and the Dragon Team does not need to be defined by the victory or defeat of the game." ”
Text/Beiqing Sports Zhou Xueshuai