In a decisive display at the Chinese Table Tennis Super League men’s semi-finals on Tuesday, Shandong Weiqiao surged past Shanghai Estate with a commanding 3-0 victory, securing their place in the championship final against Hubei Yellowstone.
The competition opened with the men’s doubles match, where Shandong’s duo of Liang Jingkun and Lin Yueru faced Shanghai’s Xu Xin and Zhou Kai. The Shandong pair started strong, taking the first game 11-8. Despite a tight second game that saw Xu and Zhou level the score with a 16-14 win, Liang and Lin regained their footing to clinch the next two games 11-9 and 11-9, earning the first point for Shandong.
In the second match, men’s singles, Wang Chuqin of Shandong took on Shanghai’s Fan Zhendong, the Paris Olympics men’s singles gold medalist. Wang showcased exceptional skill, capturing the first two games 11-9 and 11-5. Fan, demonstrating his championship pedigree, fought back to win the third game 11-5. However, Wang capitalized on his momentum and Fan’s unforced errors in the fourth game, dominating 11-3 to secure a 3-1 match victory and extend Shandong’s lead to 2-0.
The third match saw Liang Jingkun return to the table to face Zhou Kai once more. Liang dominated the outset with an 11-3 win in the first game. Zhou responded by taking the second game 11-4, but Liang remained undeterred, sealing the next two games 11-8 and 11-5. This victory clinched the match for Shandong, completing a clean sweep over Shanghai.
With this commanding 3-0 triumph, Shandong Weiqiao advances confidently into the final, where they will face Hubei Yellowstone in a bid for the championship title.
Reference(s):
Chinese Table Tennis Super League: Shandong beat Shanghai in semis
cgtn.com
