The quarterfinals of the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Slam men's singles are born
The national table tennis men's team has a strong lineup in this Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, with Wang Chuqin, Fan Zhendong, Liang Jingkun, Ma Long, Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong all participating. Before the match, Fan Zhendong, Liang Jingkun and Ma Long were considered the favorites to win the championship, but the match was an upset at the start.
In the second round, the top seed Fan Zhendong lost 1-3 to teammate Lin Shidong, stopped in the top 32, and failed to defend his title. The 18-year-old Lin Shidong was in excellent form, leading 11-2 at one point with a high-quality backhand attack, and although Fan Zhendong adjusted in the middle game, he was still difficult to beat his opponent in the end. This is a portrayal of Fan Zhendong's recent form, he has also fallen into a slump in the last two races, at one point falling 0-2 behind Lin Shidong and 0-3 behind Hugo.
Immediately afterwards, the third seed Ma Long also lost 2-3 to Germany's Francesca and stopped in the round of 32. Malone once led 2-1, but Francesca fought more aggressively and won two games in a row. Coupled with Lin Gaoyuan, who was eliminated the day before, three of the top five seeds in the men's singles of this tournament have been eliminated.
The other main forces of national table tennis still successfully advanced. Liang Jingkun beat Germany's Duda 3-0, Wang Chuqin swept Moregard 3-0, and Lin Shidong beat veteran Boll 3-1. In addition to the two national table tennis players, the other six quarter-finals are occupied by players from Germany, France, India and Chinese Taipei.
The men's singles quarterfinals are: Bol vs Liang Jingkun in the first half, Francesca vs Lin Yunru; In the second half, Felix vs Achanta, Qiu Dang vs Wang Chuqin. Liang Jingkun vs Pol and Francesca vs Lin Yunru are all Sino-European duels, while Wang Chuqin vs Qiu Dang is an inevitable civil war in national table tennis.
The German men's team has a strong lineup, and the four tigers are difficult to solve
The German men's team sent Qiu Dang, Ocharov, Bol and Francesca to participate in the competition, which shows the strength of the lineup. Their performances at this Saudi Arabia Grand Slam also proved to be strong, with all four reaching the quarter-finals.
Qiu Dang and Francesca defeated Liang Jingkun and Ma Long, the main players of national table tennis, respectively, and broke out two big upsets. Qiu Dang is ranked 10th in the world and Francesca is ranked 16th, and both are not to be underestimated. Previously, Francesca had narrowly defeated Ma Long 3-2, and Qiu Dang's style of play is also special, and he is very competitive in the world arena.
The German men's team also faced a difficult problem when selecting the Olympic squad. According to the rules, they can only send three people to compete in the Olympic team event, and Qiu Dang, Ocharov, Pol and Francesca are all deserved. In the end, Germany gave Francesca a P card, and the official three-man lineup was Qiu Dang, Ocharov and Pol.
The German men's team also had a point in mind when making this decision. Qiu Dang has already qualified for the Olympic Mixed Doubles due to his tacit understanding with Mittram in the mixed doubles event. Bol and Ocharov, on the other hand, are older but have a lot of experience in tournaments and tend to perform consistently at an Olympic level. Francesca's strength is not high enough to qualify for the Olympic singles directly.
Ma Long won the World Cup for the third time
In this World Cup, Ma Long won the singles championship of the event for the third time. The 35-year-old, five-time Olympic gold medallist came from behind to beat Japan's top player Hayasuke Togami 4-2 in the quarter-finals to make it all the way to the semi-finals.
In the first game, Malone failed to limit his opponent well and fell behind 5-11. However, he gradually found his form, making the most of his service rounds, winning three games in a row 11-5, 11-7, 11-3, and swept Hayasuke Togami 11-3 in the final two games to complete the comeback.
In the quarter-finals of the bottom half, Ma Long's teammate Lin Gaoyuan defeated defending champion Fan Zhendong 4-2. The two sides tied in the first two games, and Lin Gaoyuan won the third game with a wave of offensive climax. Although Fan Zhendong adjusted in the middle game and pulled the total score to 2-2, Lin Gaoyuan took advantage of the victory to chase and 11-7 to the next city, eliminating Fan Zhendong with a total score of 4-2.
Ma Long will face rising Japanese star Tomokazu Haramoto in the semifinals, who defeated Carlberg in the quarter-finals to advance to the semifinals. The other semi-final is Wang Chuqin PK South Korea's Zhang Yuzhen, which will be a revenge battle, because at the Busan Team World Table Tennis Championships in February this year, Wang Chuqin lost to Zhang Yuzhen 1-3.
After 9 years, Malone once again surprised fans in the World Cup. The first man in men's singles history has combined the five elements of "fast, accurate, ruthless, change, and turn" to unprecedented heights, and his efficient forehand attack is his most outstanding weapon. Malone has already won two Olympic titles in Rio and Tokyo, and if he can win another game at this World Cup, he will become the first player to win the tournament three times.
Can Wang Chuqin extend the hegemony of the Grand Slam title?
In this World Cup, Wang Chuqin is undoubtedly one of the most optimistic favorites to win the championship. For more than a year, the unprecedented four-time Asian Games gold king has maintained a strong backhand quality, while his forehand awareness has become more prominent, and his overall skills have become more and more abundant.
So far this year, Wang Chuqin has won the men's singles title at the 2023 Finals, the WTT Star Challenge Doha and the Singapore Grand Slam. He currently sits firmly at the top of the world rankings and is in a strong position in the singles qualification contest for the Paris Olympics.
Wang Chuqin met Ma Long's strong opponent in the World Cup semifinals. The two are evenly matched, but Ma Long's forehand high-angle attack may cause some trouble for Wang Chuqin. Wang Chuqin's men's singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles are three events, which is a big test of physical fitness.
In addition to Ma Long, Wang Chuqin's other big rival in the singles event is Germany's Qiu Dang. Qiu Dang had previously defeated the main players of national table tennis, Lin Shidong and Liang Jingkun, and reached the semi-finals all the way. His style of play is special, he is very competitive on the world stage, and Wang Chuqin is by no means a green leaf.