On May 11, 2024, at the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, with Chen Meng defeating Hina Hayada 4-0, she completed the task of the foreign association, and the national table tennis also won the women's singles championship and runner-up in advance, Chen Meng theoretically locked the women's singles qualification for the Paris Olympics. After the game, Chen Meng said that in order to prepare for the game, he prepared until two or three o'clock in the morning, and these three days were very painful. After Wang Manyu women's singles was out early, Chen Meng successively faced the impact of national table tennis rivals such as Miyu Hirano, Miwa Zhangmoto, and Hina Hayada in order to qualify for the Olympic women's singles. Chen Meng and Wang Manyu partnered to win the women's doubles championship, which was the icing on the cake for Chen Meng and did not mean much to Wang Manyu. Wang Manyu said that the trip to Saudi Arabia is worth summing up, and she is very happy to win the women's doubles championship.
This WTT Saudi Arabia Grand Slam can be said to be the most important tournament before the Paris Olympics. The national table tennis naturally did not dare to be careless, and sent all members of the main lineup to participate. In the Women's Singles, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu are two of the most high-profile players, and they are the favourites to win the title and qualify for the Olympics.
At the beginning of the event, everyone thought it would be a wonderful showdown. Who knew that a bombshell broke out in the round of 32, and the world's No. 1 Wang Manyu actually lost 1-3 to the Indian teenager Batra and was unexpectedly eliminated. This is Wang Manyu's first round tour of the singles event of the tournament again after two years, which really surprised fans and coaching staff.
On the other hand, Chen Meng's performance was quite good, she defeated Miu Hirano, Miwa Zhangmoto, and Hina Hayata, three Japanese rivals, all the way to the final. These three matches were all tough battles for Chen Meng, and it can be said that she finally broke through many obstacles with tenacious perseverance and extraordinary hard work.
In the post-match interview, Chen Meng couldn't hide her tiredness, she said that for this competition, she would train until two or three o'clock in the morning every day, and the three days of suffering were really physically and mentally exhausting. The hard work paid off, and she finally locked in the women's singles qualification for the Paris Olympics in theory, which is the biggest affirmation and encouragement for her.
In contrast, Wang Manyu's performance is quite regrettable. Although she and Chen Meng won the women's doubles event, for her personally, this championship does not mean much. After all, the Olympic singles qualification is what she values most, but unfortunately this time she missed the opportunity and can only wait for the next opportunity.
Next, let's talk about how the defeat and breakthrough of Wang Manyu and Chen Meng this time have affected their qualification for the Olympic Games.
As we all know, the national table tennis has introduced a new rule this year, that is, if the female team loses to a player from a foreign association in the competition, a huge amount of 3,000 points will be deducted. So when Wang Manyu was eliminated by India's Batra in the round of 32, she was immediately deducted 3,000 points, which was a heavy blow.
In contrast, Chen Meng's performance was much better. She defeated three Japanese rivals in a row, Miu Hirano, Miwa Zhangmoto and Hina Hayata, and completed the task of not losing the foreign war, and the score naturally remained intact. Coupled with at least 1,500 bonus points in this event, Chen Meng's total score has surpassed Wang Manyu, and she has basically locked in the qualification for the women's singles at the Paris Olympics.
For the coaching staff, the civil war between Chen Meng and Wang Manyu brought them a "happy trouble". In terms of strength, Wang Manyu is the title of world No. 1, and her comprehensive strength is naturally stronger. But now the points situation has been reversed, and Chen Meng has the upper hand. How to make a fair and just choice between the two really put the coaching staff in a dilemma.
The mentality of the athletes is even more complicated. In the post-game interview, Chen Meng revealed that for this competition, she would train until two or three o'clock in the morning every day, and she was physically and mentally exhausted. It can be seen how hard she worked and paid for this Olympic qualification. Although Wang Manyu lost in the singles event, she won the championship with Chen Meng in the women's doubles event, which is also a lot of comfort and encouragement. She also knows very well that Olympic singles qualification is the most important thing for her, and this defeat made her feel very regretful and frustrated.