World No. 1 men's singles table tennis player Wang Chuqin of China kicked off the Year of the Snake in style with a commanding 3-0 victory over Japan's Yukiya Uda in the first round of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash on Sunday.
The match began with unexpected intensity as Uda surged ahead to a 9-6 lead in the opening game. Demonstrating his resilience and top-ranked prowess, Wang rallied to level the scores at 9-9. With momentum on his side, he secured the next two points to clinch the first game.
Building on this advantage, Wang dominated the second game, establishing an early lead and extending it confidently to an 11-5 finish. Though Uda fought valiantly in the third game, keeping the score tight, Wang maintained his composure. Leading 10-9, he sealed the match with a powerful smash, confirming his place in the next round where he will face Singaporean wild-card Koen Pang.
Elsewhere in the men's singles event, two more Chinese players advanced to the second round. Qualifier Huang Youzheng overcame Iran's Noshad Alamian with a straight-sets victory of 14-12, 12-10, 11-4. Huang is set to challenge Germany's No. 8 seed Patrick Franziska next. Meanwhile, Chen Yuanyu defeated Paraguay's Marcelo Aguirre 11-7, 11-7, 2-11, 11-6 and will face South Korea's 12th seed Jang Woo-jin in the upcoming round.
In the women's singles, China's No. 4 seed Chen Xingtong comfortably dispatched Lam Yee Lok of China's Hong Kong with an 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 win. Second-seeded Wang Manyu progressed with a solid performance against Egypt's Dina Meshref, winning 11-8, 11-7, 11-9. Additionally, No. 15 seed Kuai Man triumphed over Portugal's Fu Yu in a 3-1 victory, posting scores of 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7.
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Wang Chuqin begins Year of the Snake with win at WTT Singapore Smash
cgtn.com
