With excitement growing over the return of the ITTF Men's and Women's World Cups in Macau, China, all eyes are on Chen Meng, the reigning champion ready to defend her title and potentially claim her second trophy. With her final Women's Singles victory at the 2020 Weihai World Cup, the question on everyone's mind is whether she can replicate her success.
In her Women's Cup debut in 2020, Chen Meng defeated Sun Yingsha's World Cup Women's Singles title 4-1 (11-13, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8), beating Szokos, Zhang An and Han Ying to reach the final and win the prestigious Hammarend Cup.
Since her victory in 2020, the world of table tennis has undergone significant changes, ushering in a new era of competition and talent. As Chen prepares for the upcoming Macau Championships, she finds herself in a different position than she was when she entered Weihai in 2020. Back in 2020, she entered Weihai as world No. 1 and top seed, however, in the meantime, her world ranking has dropped to No. 4 in the world, with players such as Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi rising in the rankings. Despite reaching multiple finals, including the final of the 2023 ITTF World Championships, Chen Meng has not won a title since her last singles victory at the 2022 Singapore Grand Slam.
However, with more than two decades of competition experience and countless accolades, including two Olympic gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Chen remains steadfast in her determination to defend her legacy as the reigning Women's World Cup champion. She shows no signs that her pace will slow down anytime soon, as she will continue to work hard to excel on the table tennis table and cement her place in table tennis history. As she sets her sights on reclaiming her Women's World Cup title, she faces the biggest challenge from world No. 1 Sun Yingsha. Looking for revenge in 2020, Sun entered the tournament as the current World Champion and had a strong year at the WTT Series and ITTF events, winning nine women's singles titles in the past year.
Looking forward to Chen Meng's victory in the Macau World Cup and achieving a Grand Slam in another way!