Chinese paddlers won both men's and women's titles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Cup Finals in Singapore on Tuesday, with Fan Zhendong defeating Japan's Harimoto Tomokazu 4-1 in the men's final, and Sun Yingsha winning against compatriot Wang Yidi 4-2 in the women's singles final.
This was the second title for Fan within a whirlwind two weeks, after he won his first world championships title in Houston, U.S., on November 30.
Fan Zhendong in action during the WTT Cup Finals men's singles final in Singapore, December 7, 2021. /CFP
Fan, 24, is world No. 1 in men's singles, according to the latest International Table Tennis Federation ranking. China's Chen Meng, who won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, ranks first in women's singles, though Chen regretfully lost to Wang Yidi 4-3 in the semifinal this time after injuring her thigh during the match.
Harimoto managed to level the match to 1-1 after losing the opening game. He put pressure on Fan in the second game, scoring six unanswered points to take a 10-8 lead. Fan adjusted quickly in the third game to resist Tomokazu's momentum and win the match 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5.
Sun Yingsha in action during the WTT Cup Finals women's singles final in Singapore, December 7, 2021. /CFP
Earlier today in the women's final, a similar scenario happened as Sun took an early 3-0 lead, but Wang challenged Sun with a tough comeback, claiming the following two games 11-7, 11-6.
Sun denied Wang's attempt to turn the match around and secured the victory for herself at 11-8 in the last game.
Though three years younger than Wang, Sun has more experience in top-level matches, having won silver in women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics, and placing second and first in women's singles and mixed doubles, respectively, at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships last week.
Source:CGTN