On the evening of the 6th, Beijing time, the men's team final of the 2023 Pyeongchang Table Tennis Asian Championship came to an end. Facing the Chinese Taipei team, the national table tennis men's team played by Wang Chuqin, Fan Zhendong and Liang Jingkun defeated the opponent 3:0 and won the championship.
Following the women's team winning the championship yesterday, the national table tennis men's team also successfully won the cup and won the ticket to the men's team competition at the Paris Olympics.
In the first set of this match, Wang Chuqin made many mistakes and was constantly mobilized by Gao Chengrui. Faced with headwinds, Wang Chuqin increased his serve to grab the game and drag the game into the tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, he improved the quality of the first three boards after falling 1:4, and finally won 11-8 to help the Chinese team take the first point.
Image source: Screenshot of WTT website
In the second set, Lin Yunru took the lead with a change in serve. After that, Fan Zhendong's advantage in holding the ball was reflected, and the game also entered the tiebreaker. Fan Zhendong caught Lin Yunru's weak forehand in a key point and won with a 3-2 comeback.
In the third set, Liang Jingkun faced Zhuang Zhiyuan. After adapting to the rhythm of his opponent's serve, Liang Jingkun began to control the game. After that, he did not give his opponent too many chances, and the Chinese team finally managed to win the championship 3-0 on aggregate.
Looking back on the road to victory
This year's Asian Championships will set up a total of seven competitions: men's team, women's team, men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, and the men's and women's team and mixed doubles champions will directly qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.
Like the national table tennis women's team, the men's team also sent a full main team this time, and the five team members are: Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan.
Data map: Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships team competition national table tennis men's team won the cup. Photo by An Yuan
The Asian Table Tennis Championships are held every two years, and the Chinese team started from the group stage because they did not participate in the previous competition. In the first match, China beat Qatar 3:0 to win the opener.
Due to the weak strength of the opponent, the Chinese team took the run-in squad as the main goal in the group stage, and five players in the team appeared in three games one after another.
Image source: Screenshot of WTT website
After that, the national table tennis men's team, which advanced to the top of the group, faced Hong Kong, China, and the two competed for a knockout spot. With Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin and Ma Long all defeating their opponents 3:0, the national table tennis men's team entered the knockout round.
In the 1/4 final, the national table tennis men's team played against the Japanese team. The game process was "one-sided": facing Zhang Benzhihe, Wang Chuqin fully controlled the rhythm and won 3-0; Fan Zhendong and Ma Long both played strongly, and the Chinese team fell three straight sets to reach the semifinals.
Image source: Screenshot of WTT website
In the semifinals against South Korea, China continued its winning streak. Wang Chuqin used the change of serve to impact his opponent and defeated Zhang Yuzhen 3-1. Fan Zhendong and Lin Zhongxun fell into entanglement, and the two sides fought to a decisive game. At the crucial moment, Fan Zhendong withstood the pressure to win 11:6. Since then, Ma Long has won three consecutive games to help the Chinese team reach the final.
The national table tennis men's and women's teams showed dominance
In the latest ITTF world rankings, the Chinese men's and women's team players ranked in the top eight, which shows its dominance.
However, the team court is a little different from singles. Not only that, according to Ma Lin, the head coach of the women's team, this Asian Championship is also the first time that the new national table tennis coaching team has run in the team competition.
Image source: Screenshot of WTT website
The national table tennis team conducted more than 20 days of closed training in Weihai in early August. Targeted training is carried out according to the characteristics of the opponent and tested through warm-up matches.
"The Asian Championships and the Asian Games are two events together, they are both seven small events, and they are very intense. In this preparation, we have especially strengthened the intensity of training. Li Feng, the head coach of the Chinese table tennis team, said earlier.
From the perspective of this competition, the national table tennis men's and women's teams showed their dominance and did not lose a set to win the championship. In the face of strong impacts, the team members are also good enough to withstand pressure. In the matches against old rivals Japan and South Korea, the national table tennis men's team and women's team took the initiative on the scene.
Against Mimato Ito and Tomokazu Chang, the Chinese player was well prepared - Chen Xingtong only gave Mimato Ito 13 points in the three sets, and Wang Chuqin also ended the battle with Tomokazu Zhang with a "quick win".
The picture shows the Chinese women's team winning the championship. Image source: WTT Weibo
In addition, the mixed doubles competition at the Asian Championships is still going on. It is worth noting that the mixed doubles Olympic ticket won by the champion does not belong to the individual, but belongs to the player's association. According to the rules, each association can send up to one pair to participate in the Olympic mixed doubles event.
This time, the Chinese team did not send the world number one pair Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha, but sent Liang Jingkun/Qian Tianyi and Lin Gaoyuan/Wang Yidi to fight.
At present, both pairs have advanced to the top 4 of mixed doubles.
From: China-Singapore Sports
Author: Liu Xingchen
Source: China News Network