The national table tennis women's Grand Slam in Saudi Arabia, Sun Yingsha won two championships, and Wang Manyu's Olympic dream was shattered?
Sun Yingsha once again showed her unrivalled quality at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Slam. As a world, she fought several matches in a row, and finally defeated her teammate Chen Meng in the final to win the women's singles championship. In addition, Sun Yingsha also won the mixed doubles championship, which can be said to be the crown of both events. The 30-year-old veteran is still in peak form, which makes people sigh at her dedication and love for table tennis.
Also attracting attention with Sun Yingsha is Wang Manyu, who is ranked in the world. Unfortunately, in the women's singles round of 16, she unexpectedly lost to India's Batra and unfortunately exited with a score of 1-3. This undoubtedly adds variables to Wang Manyu's singles qualification battle for the Olympic Games. As the main force of national table tennis, Wang Manyu's state is directly related to the performance of the Chinese team in the Olympic Games.
However, in the women's doubles event, the golden pair of Wang Manyu and Chen Meng joined forces again and swept the Korean pair of Tian Zhixi/Shin Yubin in the final to win the championship with a score of 3-0. Needless to say, the tacit understanding between the two on the field is also the key to their several victories in the competition.
Chen Meng's personal aspect, although she lost to Sun Yingsha in the women's singles final, the runner-up's results are also worthy of recognition. She won one championship and one runner-up in this Grand Slam, which can be described as a fruitful result. Compared with Sun Yingsha's outstanding performance, Chen Meng's performance in the final was still slightly inferior. She needs to improve her mentality and skills and tactics in order to truly challenge Sun Yingsha's status.
In addition to Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu, other members of the national table tennis women's team also performed well in this Saudi Arabia Grand Slam.
Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong met in the quarterfinals of the Women's Doubles, but unfortunately Wang Yidi/Chen Xingtong lost to Chen Meng/Wang Manyu's golden pair and said goodbye. However, in the women's singles event, Wang Yidi reached the semifinals, and Chen Xingtong and Qian Tianyi also reached the top 32, winning valuable points for the national table tennis women's team.
For young players like Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong, it is of great significance to be able to get valuable training opportunities in such an important competition. They faced strong opponents in the Circle and experienced the excitement of master matchups, which will help them better control their mental state in the future. Through the competition with the top players, the young players can also find their own shortcomings, so that they can train more specifically and promote self-improvement.
In addition to the training of skills and tactics, the young players can also appreciate the top level and traditional culture of the Chinese table tennis team in the competition. As a member of the national table tennis, they are fortunate to be able to feel this precious team atmosphere and draw nourishment from it. It is believed that through the experience of this Grand Slam tournament, young players such as Wang Yidi and Chen Xing will definitely benefit a lot, laying the foundation for them to achieve good results in higher-level competitions in the future.
The development prospects of the national table tennis women's team are bright. Under the leadership of veterans such as Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, and Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, Chen Xing and other new-generation players are gradually growing, and the replacement of the old and the new is proceeding smoothly. I believe that through this benign generational change, the national table tennis women's team will be able to continue its glory and become a legend in the future arena.
For the 2024 Paris Olympics, whether the national table tennis women's team can win all the gold medals is still unknown. Wang's sluggish form at the Saudi Grand Slam has undoubtedly added some variables to her performance at the Olympics. However, as a world ranking, Wang Manyu's strength is beyond doubt. As long as she can adjust her form in time, I believe she will be able to return to her peak level at the Olympics.
In addition to Wang Manyu, two veterans, Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha, will also be the top scorers of the Chinese team at the Olympics. Their outstanding performances at the Saudi Grand Slam will undoubtedly give them a lot of confidence. I believe that as long as they play their true level, they will definitely be able to win the Olympic competition.
As for the younger generation of Wang Yidi, Chen Xing and others, although their performance in the Saudi Grand Slam is still a little up and down, they will definitely benefit a lot through this valuable training experience and lay the foundation for future growth. Perhaps in the 2024 Olympic Games, it will be difficult for them to become the main force of the Chinese team, but they will definitely be a valuable complement at that time.