Saudi Arabia Grand Slam Table Tennis Tournament Report
Table tennis has a profound cultural heritage in China, and it is the national sport and the pride of the nation. In this world-renowned Saudi Arabia Grand Slam event, the Chinese table tennis team once again showed its dominance, although it suffered setbacks in the event, but finally won the mixed doubles, men's doubles, women's doubles, men's singles, women's singles five championships. This is undoubtedly a strong proof of the strength of national table tennis, and it also adds confidence to the upcoming Paris Olympics.
The Shatou Mixed Doubles won the championship
In the mixed doubles final on May 9, world No. 1 Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha of China swept Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting/To Hoi Kim 3-0 on aggregate to win the first gold medal of the tournament.
Throughout the game, the Shatou combination dominated the field and showed strong attacking power and defensive quality from the beginning. They work well together, pay attention to detail, and play every point with great concentration. Whether it is Sun Yingsha's precise serve or Wang Chuqin's high-quality attack, the opponent has fallen into a situation of being beaten passively.
After the match, Wang Chuqin said that the cooperation with Sun Yingsha was more active and focused, and the opponent was one of the strongest mixed doubles pairs in the world, and they had been prepared for this. Sun Yingsha also said that she was prepared to deal with difficulties before the game, the communication was very smooth, and each ball could be played according to the imaginary feeling.
This is the fourth Grand Slam mixed doubles title won by Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in the Paris Olympic cycle, and they will compete as top seeds in the mixed doubles event at the upcoming Paris Olympics and will be aiming for their first Olympic mixed doubles gold medal.
Wang Yidi narrowly defeated Misei Ito 4-3
In the women's singles quarterfinals, Wang Yidi of the Chinese team experienced a seven-game battle, and finally defeated Japan's Misei Ito with a total score of 4-3 and advanced to the semifinals.
At the beginning of the game, Ito relied on the fierce first three board tactics to control the landing of the ball extremely accurately, and quickly took the lead. But Wang Yidi did not panic, quickly adapted to the rhythm of the opponent and found a coping strategy.
In the ensuing game, the two sides went back and forth, and the atmosphere on the field gradually became tense. Ito started to attack in the third game, tried to change the tempo, and once gained the upper hand. But Wang Yidi did not give up, and gradually regained the initiative by adjusting his strategy.
Entering the back stage, the game entered the white heat, and the psychological game between the two sides reached its peak. Ito came from behind in the fifth and sixth games to tie the total score at three. In the decisive game, Wang Yidi relied on his indomitable fighting spirit and precise attack, and finally won with a personal score of 11-8, and advanced with a big score of 4-3.
After the game, Wang Yidi's victory in this battle was undoubtedly a shot in the arm. This not only ended her recent losing streak against the Japanese athlete, but more importantly, she regained her confidence and prepared for the upcoming Olympics.
Ma Long/Wang Chuqin won the men's doubles championship, and Chen Meng/Wang Manyu won the women's doubles
In the men's and women's doubles finals on May 10, the Chinese team won two gold medals.
In the men's doubles final, the Ma Long/Wang Chuqin combination defeated the Japanese pair Hayasuke Togami/Shinozuka Daito in three straight games with a total score of 3-0 and won the championship. This is Wang Chuqin's second gold medal in this tournament, and it is also Ma Long's second Grand Slam doubles title after the Singapore Grand Slam.
After the match, Ma Long said that although he had won the World Championships with Wang Chuqin, it was the first time in the Open and WTT series, so he was very well prepared. Wang Chuqin said that he was very happy to partner with "Brother Long" again, and hoped that the two could have more cooperation.
In the women's doubles final, Chen Meng/Wang Manyu also defeated the world's No. 1 South Korean pair Shin Yubin/Tian Zhixi with a total score of 3-0 and topped the championship.
After the game, Wang Manyu said that although there was not much cooperation with Chen Meng, the confidence and tacit understanding between the two were getting better and better in important events. Chen Meng also said that although the preparation time was not long, he played well and used his skills and tactics properly.
Wang Chuqin, Men's Singles, Ricklin Shidong, Sun Yingsha, killed Chen Meng
In the men's singles semifinals, the national table tennis civil war was on the verge of breaking out, and Wang Chuqin defeated his teammate Lin Shidong with a total score of 4-3 after 59 minutes of fierce battle and advanced to the final.
The game scene was impressive, Lin Shidong felt hot after the start, and with his backhand twist and defensive resolution, he won two cities in a row. But Wang Chuqin fought back tenaciously from the third game, and after a difficult tug-of-war, he finally won the tiebreaker 11-6, which brought the curtain down on this dragon fight.
In the women's singles semifinals, a national table tennis civil war also broke out, and the top seed Sun Yingsha swept Chen Meng with a total score of 4-0 and advanced to the final. Post-game statistics show that Sun Yingsha showed overwhelming dominance in this civil war, conceding only 5 points in the whole game.
Other results
In addition to the above-mentioned highlights, the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam also produced some other exciting results:
In men's singles, German veteran Francesca defeated the main national table tennis player Fan Zhendong 4-3 in the quarterfinals with his tenacious fighting spirit and advanced to the semifinals.
In women's singles, India's first sister Batra defeated China's Wang Manyu 4-1 in the quarterfinals and became the biggest dark horse of this tournament.
In the qualifying rounds of the mixed doubles and doubles events, the Chinese team's youngsters Lin Shidong/Kuo Man, Chen Xingtong/Wang Yidi, etc. also played well, winning valuable world ranking points for the national table tennis.