With the growing popularity of table tennis around the world, the attention of top competitions is increasing day by day. As the grand slam of the highest palace competition in table tennis, it has always attracted the attention of fans. In 2024, all table tennis athletes will draw the most exciting stroke for their journey in Saudi Arabia.
The road to glory for great athletes is often paved with thorns and hardships. For Sun Yingsha, China's "little devil", this is no exception. Since winning her first Grand Slam title at the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban in 2023, Sun Yingsha has been pinned on high hopes and is regarded as a representative of the new generation of Chinese table tennis superstars after Wang Liqin and Zhang Yining.
In the high-profile 2024 ITTF Macau Women's World Cup, Sun Yingsha's performance can be described as dazzling. With her outstanding on-the-spot performance and tenacious fighting spirit, she passed all the way, and finally defeated her teammate Wang Manyu in the final and won the championship with a wonderful score of 4-3. This hard-won honor not only fills an important gap in her personal career, but also marks her official embarkation on the road to the pinnacle and becoming the brightest rising star in the world table tennis today.
As the leader of the Chinese national team, Sun Yingsha did not stop there. Immediately after her victory at the World Cup in Macau, she set her sights on the upcoming 2024 WTT Saudi Grand Slam. As the most important preparation before the Olympic Games, high hopes were placed on this event. Sun Yingsha is confident that she will continue her excellent form and strive to achieve two consecutive Grand Slam results in Saudi Arabia.
However, achieving this goal is no easy feat. On the stage of the Saudi Grand Slam, Sun Yingsha will face a strong challenge from top players from all over the world. In particular, her teammates Wang Manyu and Chen Meng, who she defeated in the final, as well as Japan's Miwa Zhangmoto, who has always been regarded as her top opponent, will be a tough test on her way to the title.
Looking back on the final of the last Macau World Cup, when Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu played each other, it can be said that they were on equal footing and at the same level. The two Chinese women will not give in to each other on the field, and they attacked each other passionately, setting off a wonderful dragon fight. After seven rounds of fierce battles, the strength of both sides was fully reflected, and in the end, Sun Yingsha defeated her opponent with a total score of 4-3 and won the championship with a smile.
This duel is not only a contest of strength, but also shows the perseverance of the two top athletes. From this point of view, Wang Manyu is definitely one of Sun Yingsha's toughest opponents. Even if she loses in Macau, Wang Manyu will definitely pick herself up and give it her all at the Saudi Grand Slam. The re-showdown between the two will surely usher in another hot showdown in the table tennis world.
At the same time, Chen Meng is also a hard stone mounds on Sun Yingsha Road. The veteran, who defeated Mimato Ito in the women's singles final at the Tokyo Olympics, is experienced and tactical. If they can successfully break through the qualifying round, Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha will reunite in the main competition, and a battle between the dragon and the phoenix will definitely break out.
What's even more exciting is that Japan's rising star Miwa Zhangmoto will make another appearance in Saudi Arabia. The young genius who cried bitterly in the final of the 2020 World Table Tennis Championships in Doha is now 24 years old, rich in experience, and at the peak of his career. In the face of the challenge of China's strong opponents, it remains to be seen how Zhang Benmeihe will perform and whether he can achieve breakthrough results.
It is undeniable that in the past few years, Zhang Benmeihe has fought against Chinese players many times, but has been repeatedly defeated and returned in tears. In the final of the 2020 World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, at the age of 16, she lost control of her emotions and burst into tears in front of Chen Meng, a scene that shocked the world. In the years since, Miwa has been looking for a breakthrough, but has never been able to achieve breakthrough results at the top level.
How will Miwa Zhangmoto, who is now a mother, face pressure and setbacks on the Saudi side? Will she be able to take this opportunity to reverse the declining trend of the past and launch a strong challenge to the Chinese team? As the core of the new generation of Japanese table tennis, Miwa Zhangmoto's expectations are huge. Once she can make a difference in the Saudi Grand Slam, it will breathe new life into Japanese table tennis.
In addition to Miwa Zhangmoto, other Japanese and Korean players are also opponents to be reckoned with. Japan's Mimato Ito and Miu Hirano have repeatedly challenged the Chinese team in the past and have achieved impressive results in some tournaments. South Korea's Zhu Mengyao, Rui Zhen and other powerful players are also favorites to win the championship. Therefore, even as the world No. 1, it will not be easy for Sun Yingsha to win the championship in Saudi Arabia.
However, for the battle-hardened Sun Yingsha, the greater the challenge, the more valuable the honor. As a new generation leader in Chinese table tennis, she has always pursued perfection and her desire to win is insatiable. At the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, she won her first Grand Slam title, and at the 2024 World Cup in Macau, she added another piece to her book of honours. Now, the upcoming Saudi Grand Slam will be an excellent stage for her to write a new chapter and create a new legend.
In addition to the fierce singles battles, the doubles events of this Grand Slam are also exciting. In the last World Cup in Macau, Wang Manyu/Chen Meng played together and went all the way to the final, but finally lost to Japan's Misei Ito/Miu Hirano and missed the championship. However, as the world's top-ranked doubles partners, they are aiming to defend their title at the Saudi Grand Slam and vow to reclaim the glory that belongs to China.
The charm of table tennis lies not only in the subtlety of skills and tactics, but also in the tenacious fighting spirit of the players. Every competition is a stage for them to show their strength and pursue excellence, and the audience will also appreciate the unique charm of the sport itself.
As the match approached, the enthusiasm of the fans was ignited. Through CCTV5's live broadcast channel, the whole high-definition live broadcast will make every follower feel as if they are in the arena and feel the fierce atmosphere of the peak duel at close range. As the pride of the Chinese people, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Meng and other national players will definitely go all out to fight for more honors for the motherland. They competed against their opponents with their bats, with high morale and tenacious struggle, which will surely make this top tournament exciting and forever in the history of sports.