In the early morning of May 11, 2024, at the WTT Saudi Grand Slam in Saudi Arabia, German star Francesca defeated South Korea's Jang Woo-jin 4-3 in a seven-game battle to advance to the men's singles final and will compete for the championship with China's Wang Chuqin. This is Francesca's first career Grand Slam men's singles final, and it is also the best result of Zhang's career at the WTT. The game was exciting, the two sides went back and forth, and in the end, Francesca played well in the deciding game to kill Zhang Yuzhen.
This semi-final battle can be described as exciting, with a lot of changes on the field, and the two sides are getting better. In the first game, Jang Yuzhen played a straight and neat forehand attack to stretch the score to 8-10, and although Francesca desperately chased the score, the Korean teenager withstood the pressure and took the lead 11-8. In the second game, Francesca adjusted her tactics in time, flattened the service line, and combined with a precision-guided backhand topspin, Zhang Yuzhen was defeated and retired, and tied 11-2.
In the third game, the two sides fell into a white-hot fight, the score rose alternately, and both sides wasted game points, and finally Zhang Yuzhen took the lead 13-11. Francesca was not discouraged, and in the fourth game, with the control of the opponent's senses, it was tied again at 11-6. In the crucial fifth game, Francesca won 11-9 and regained the overall lead.
Zhang Yuzhen, who was facing elimination, fought back head-on in the sixth game, won the game point 10-4, and finally tied the total score 11-5. At the start of the decider, Francesca had the upper hand, leading 8-5 in the middle game. Although Zhang Yuzhen desperately chased the score, the German master responded calmly, controlled the situation, and finally locked the victory 11-8 and advanced to the finals!
The game was too intense, both sides completely showed their full strength, you came and went, and the scene was quite exciting. Francesca seized his chance at a crucial moment and played brilliantly, and it was also his first career Grand Slam men's singles final, which is delightful. Jang Woo-jin's performance was also impressive, and although she couldn't break through in the end, she had already set a personal best.
Although Francesca played a beautiful battle in the men's singles field, in the women's singles field, the national table tennis players also showed strong strength.
In the quarterfinals, Chen Xingtong and the world No. 1 Sun Yingsha started a dragon fight. At the beginning of the game, the two fought equally, you came and went, and the scene was very intense. Chen Xingtong relied on the control of the opponent's sense to win the first game. In the second game, Sun Yingsha adjusted her tactics in time, flattened the service line, and cooperated with the precision-guided backhand superspin to beat Chen Xingtong to the point of defeat and equalization.
In the next two games, the two sides fell into a white-hot battle, and the scores rose alternately, and the scene was quite exciting. Although Sun Yingsha had the upper hand in the key points, Chen Xingtong fought tenaciously and won two cities in a row to lead the overall score again. In the fifth game, Sun Yingsha fought back, but unfortunately Chen Xingtong controlled the situation and finally ended the journey of this round 11-9.
In the other 1/4 finals, Wang Yidi played against Qian Tianyi, and the two sides also played a high-level game. Wang Yidi had the upper hand in the key points, controlled the situation, and finally sealed the victory with a total score of 4-1 and advanced to the semifinals.
The quarter-finals in the lower half of the region were equally exciting. Wang Manyu fell behind Ito at the beginning, but with the spirit of tenacious fighting, he won three games in a row, and finally defeated his opponent 4-2 to advance. Chen Meng also performed well, sweeping Shen Yubin with an aggregate score of 4-1 and advancing to the semifinals.
In this way, two national table tennis civil wars will be staged in the semifinals, Chen Meng PK Wang Manyu, and Wang Yidi against Chen Xingtong. It will be a battle of dragons and tigers, who can break through to the finals, let's wait and see!
The doubles field was also very exciting. In the mixed doubles final, Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha defeated the Korean pair Lim Jong-hoon/Shin Yubin with a total score of 3-1 and achieved the great cause of three consecutive championships! In the men's doubles semifinals, Ma Long/Lin Gaoyuan won without a fight due to the withdrawal of their opponents, and Fan Zhendong/Wang Chuqin defeated the Swedish combination 3-1, so that the national table tennis locked the men's doubles championship of this Grand Slam in advance.
In the women's doubles semi-finals, Chen Meng/Wang Manyu also played well, defeating the Luxembourg pair with an aggregate score of 3-1 and advancing to the final. They will be competing for the title with another Chinese Taipei pair, so let's wait and see how it turns out!
Whether it is singles or doubles, the national table tennis players have shown a very high level in this Grand Slam and won one good result after another. I believe that in the next finals, they will be able to make persistent efforts and bring more joy to the country and fans!