Four Chinese table tennis stars\u2014Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Liang Jingkun, and Lin Gaoyuan\u2014secured decisive victories in the first-round singles matches at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Macao in China’s Macao Special Administrative Region on Monday.
In the women’s singles event, Sun Yingsha faced a formidable challenge from Jeon Ji-hee of South Korea. The world number one narrowly clinched the first two games with identical scores of 14-12 and 12-10. Demonstrating her exceptional skill, Sun dominated the third game with an 11-1 finish, sealing her advancement to the next round.
“I think Jeon played well today,” Sun told reporters after the match. “It’s true that I haven’t trained in a systematic way since the 2024 Paris Olympic Games ended, but that’s something professional players have to get used to because competitions follow each other closely.”
Wang Manyu continued China’s winning streak by defeating Bernadette Szocs of Romania in a four-game match. Wang took the first two games 11-7 and 11-4, dropped the third 5-11, but bounced back to secure the fourth game 11-9, ensuring her progression in the tournament.
On the men’s side, Liang Jingkun delivered a commanding performance against Edward Ly of Canada, achieving a straight-sets victory with scores of 11-3, 11-4, and 11-6. His compatriot, Lin Gaoyuan, also swept his opponent, Omar Assar of Egypt, with scores of 11-6, 11-6, and 11-8.
“I took some days off after the Olympics and returned to regular training sessions recently,” Liang said. “It’s very helpful, and I felt good in the match.”
The strong performances by the Chinese paddlers underscore their dominance in international table tennis and set a promising tone for the remainder of the WTT Champions Macao tournament.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
