Sun Yingsha had the upper hand against Chen Meng 5-1, and Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu couldn't afford to lose the foreign war
The ITTF Macao World Cup has ushered in the semi-finals of men's and women's singles, and almost all of the four semi-finals have been hard-matched. So, who is likely to reach the final and challenge for the championship? Who is under the most pressure from the outside world? Let's take a look at the matchups:
Sun Yingsha vs Chen Meng, match time: 19:40
Sasha and Sister Meng are almost the protagonists of the women's singles finals of the competition in recent years, let's take a look at the records of the two sides since 2023:
WTT Xinxiang Championship Sun Yingsha 4-0 Chen Meng
WTT Macau Championship Sun Yingsha 0-4 Chen Meng
Durban World Table Tennis Championships Sun Yingsha 4-2 Chen Meng
WTT Ljublium Stars Sun Yingsha 4-0 Chen Meng
WTT Nagoya Women's Finals Sun Yingsha 4-1 Chen Meng
Judging from the head-to-head record, Sasha has maintained a 5-1 win over Chen Meng in the past year. In terms of hitting the World Cup women's singles final, Chen Meng's pressure is also greater than Sasha's. Wang Manyu won the Singapore Grand Slam and the Incheon Championships as the runner-up, surpassing Chen Meng in Olympic selection points in one fell swoop. Sister Meng for a precious Olympic singles quota, she has no reason to release Sun Yingsha, she will definitely fight with all her might!
Wang Manyu vs Zhang Benmei and Match time: 18:00
As far as the four semifinals are concerned, Wang Manyu is under the most pressure. Even if Lin Gaoyuan loses to Tomokazu Zhangmoto, he will not be able to go to the Olympics. If Wang Manyu loses to Zhang Benmeihe, she will lose the foreign war, and after deducting 3,000 points, she will also give the singles quota for the Paris Olympics to Chen Meng. In the two competitions in Singapore and Incheon, Wang Manyu finally surpassed Chen Meng in the Olympic selection points, if it was planted in the hands of Zhang Benmeihe, then Wang Manyu's early efforts would be in vain. Zhang Benmeihe advanced to the semifinals, eliminating Wang Yidi, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, and Diaz, who is ranked No. 10 in the world, Wang Manyu should be careful!
Lin Gaoyuan vs Tomokazu Zhangmoto, game time: 20:30
The battle between Lin Gaoyuan and Zhang Benzhihe is a battle related to the honor of Lin Gaoyuan's career. In the 2018 finals and the 2022 Budapest Championship, Lin Gaoyuan collapsed in front of Tomokazu Zhang twice. Before retiring in his career, whether Lin Gaoyuan can defeat Tomokazu Zhang and achieve a turnaround depends on the direct confrontation of the Macau World Cup. I hope Lin Gaoyuan will fight for Brother Dong and don't make way for Zhang Benzhihe, right? Another men's singles semi-final Ma Long vs Wang Chuqin will be staged at 18:50, because the Dragons have repeatedly lost to Wang Chuqin in the past year, and even gave up fighting on the court, there is little suspense about the outcome of the game.
Which semi-final do you pay more attention to? Can Sasha defeat Sister Meng again? Can Lin Gaoyuan beat Tomokazu Zhangmoto?