The final match
On May 14, 2024, at the men's singles final of the WTT Saudi Grand Slam held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Chinese table tennis star Lin Shidong and veteran Fan Zhendong staged a fierce showdown. 19-year-old Lin Shidong defeated 31-year-old Fan Zhendong with an aggregate score of 4-3 to win the championship.
In the first game, Lin Shidong took the lead 11-7 with his excellent serve and backhand winning point play. In the second game, Fan Zhendong adjusted the rotation and rhythm of the serve to equalize the score. In the third game, the two sides went back and forth, and Lin Shidong defeated Fan Zhendong 12-10 and took the lead again.
In the fourth game, Lin Shidong played a high-level serve and top spin loop, Fan Zhendong's defense was passive, Lin Shidong went down 11-6, and the big score came to 3-1. Faced with the dilemma of falling behind, Fan Zhendong finally played at the level he deserved, and won back a city 11-9 in the fifth game.
Entering the latter stage, Fan Zhendong's experience and resilience began to play a role. In the sixth game, he turned the tide 13-11 and tied the total score. In the seventh game of the decisive game, the two sides fought to 9 draws, and Lin Shidong scored two points in a row to win the championship 11-9. After the game, Fan Zhendong admitted that Lin Shidong's tenacious fighting spirit is admirable, and the young opponent completely deserves it.
Lin Shidong's personal profile
Lin Shidong, born on January 18, 2005 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, is 1.83 meters tall and currently plays for the Guangdong Provincial Table Tennis Team. He is one of the brightest rising stars of the new generation of Chinese table tennis.
Lin Shidong has been passionate about table tennis since he was a child, and joined the Shenzhen Table Tennis Junior Team at the age of 6 to start formal training. In 2016, he was selected by the national team coaching staff for the men's singles championship in table tennis at the National Games, and was selected for the national youth team to begin professional training.
In 2019, Lin Shidong started his career by winning the U18 men's singles title at the Croatian Youth Open. In 2020, he won the men's singles and men's doubles championships at the National Youth Championships, becoming the hottest table tennis rookie in China.
In 2022, Lin Shidong defeated Ma Long in the men's singles final of the World Table Tennis Championships in Doha and won his first world championship title. In 2023, he helped the national team defend the men's team championship at the World Table Tennis Championships. At the Hangzhou Asian Games in the same year, Lin Shidong won three gold medals in men's singles, men's doubles and team, becoming the "quadruple champion".
In 2024, Lin Shidong defeated Fan Zhendong in the Singapore Grand Slam, and then won another city in the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, defeating the number one star of national table tennis in a row, completely establishing his status as a new generation leader.
Zhao Dacheng introduced
Zhao Dacheng, born on September 25, 2003 in Seoul, South Korea, is 1.78 meters tall, and now plays for the South Korean national table tennis team.
Zhao Dacheng has shown outstanding table tennis talent since he was a child, and was selected by the Korean Table Tennis Association to join the youth team at the age of 8 and began systematic training. In 2018, he launched his career by winning gold medals in Men's Singles and Men's Doubles at the Youth World Cup. In 2019, Cho Dae-sung helped South Korea win the World Men's Team Championship.
In 2021, Cho Dae-sung represented South Korea at the Tokyo Olympics, but stopped in the round of 16 in both the men's singles and men's team events. In 2022, he defeated Hong Kong's Lam Cheung Yue at the Asian Championships in Qatar to win his first major title.
In 2023, Zhao Dacheng lost to Lin Shidong in the men's singles final of the World Table Tennis Championships in Doha and won the runner-up. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou in the same year, he helped the South Korean team win the bronze medal in the men's team, and lost to Lin Shidong again in the men's singles final, winning only one silver medal.
In 2024, Zhao Dacheng upset world No. 1 Fan Zhendong at the Singapore Grand Slam, and then went to the next level at the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, defeating Ma Long to advance to the semifinals, completely ranking among the top powers in the world.
The meaning of a champion
Lin Shidong's victory at the Saudi Grand Slam is of great significance to his personal development. This is his first Grand Slam title in a year, and it marks that he has completely stepped out of the 2023 slump and re-established his dominance.
Lin Shidong defeated Fan Zhendong and Ma Long, the two top stars in this event, which not only cleared the psychological barrier, but also added confidence to the upcoming Paris Olympics. As the leader of the new generation of national table tennis, Lin Shidong will be the number one gold medal point of the Chinese team at the Olympic Games.
Lin Shidong's championship has also injected new vitality into the sustainable development of Chinese table tennis. As the successor of Fan Zhendong and Ma Long born in the 90s, Lin Shidong has fully proved his strength, and in the future, he will continue to write the glory of Chinese table tennis together with Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan and other post-00s rookies.
Lin Shidong's championship will also further enhance the influence of table tennis in China. As a national sport, table tennis has always been the pride of Chinese. The rise of the new generation of stars such as Lin Shidong will surely attract more young people to devote themselves to this sport and become a new legend of Chinese table tennis.
Evaluation of the coaching staff
For Lin Shidong's outstanding performance in the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, the coaching staff of the national table tennis team gave high praise and expectations.
"Lin Shidong showed a very high level of on-the-spot performance ability and tenacious fighting spirit in this competition, and he fully deserves this championship. Liu Guo, the head coach of the national team, said, "As a new generation leader, Lin Shidong has fully proved his strength, and we have high hopes for him. ＂
However, Lin Shidong still has a lot of room for improvement, especially in terms of emotional control on the field. "In the final game of the final, he was a little emotional, and if he had a stronger opponent, it could have been a big mistake." Therefore, in the upcoming Olympic cycle, we will focus on cultivating Lin Shidong's psychological quality. ＂
Assistant coach Wang Liqin gave pertinent advice to Lin Shidong from a technical level: "Lin Shidong's serve and backhand are already world-class, but he still needs to improve in terms of forehand return. If his forehand can be refined a little more, it will become more versatile and invincible. ＂
The coaching staff has high hopes for Lin Shidong, but they are also soberly aware of his shortcomings. I believe that under their guidance, Lin Shidong will be able to carry forward the spirit of Chinese table tennis and write new glories in the future arena.