China Wins Women's Singles Crown at WTT Champions Chongqing

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China Wins Women's Singles Crown at WTT Champions Chongqing

Synopsis

On March 15, China secured the women's singles title at the WTT Champions in Chongqing as its leading paddlers advanced to the semifinals. World No. 1 Sun Yingsha had a tough match against Satsuki Odo, winning 3-1 to boost her confidence for the upcoming semifinal.

Key Takeaways

  • China's top four players reached the semifinals.
  • World No. 1 Sun Yingsha defeated Satsuki Odo 3-1.
  • Odo won the first game but Sun rallied to win.
  • Sun's next match is against Wang Yidi.
  • The tournament concludes on Sunday.

Chongqing (China), March 15 (NationPress) China has claimed the women's singles championship after its leading four players secured semifinal positions at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions in Chongqing on Saturday. On the penultimate day of the tournament, world No. 1 Sun Yingsha faced a challenging match, ultimately triumphing 3-1 against Japan's eighth-ranked Satsuki Odo.

The 20-year-old Odo, the previous year's champion in Montpellier during her WTT Champions debut, stunned the local fans by winning the first game 11-6. The following two games saw multiple game points exchanged, but Sun showcased her tenacity, winning both with a score of 14-12. She then secured the fourth game 11-7 to finish the match, as reported by Xinhua.

"This was our encounter [in WTT events]. My preparations and analysis of my opponent helped me understand her style, but competing against her was a different experience," Sun remarked. "I lost the first game, and she even had a game point in the second. Had I lost that game, I would have been down 0-2. This victory will boost my confidence for tomorrow's semifinal, and I plan to enjoy the match and deliver an excellent performance for everyone," she added.

Sun's semifinal opponent is third seed Wang Yidi, who overcame Japan's Hina Hayata with scores of 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, and 12-10.

The other semifinal features world No. 2 Wang Manyu against fourth-ranked Chen Xingtong. Wang defeated Miwa Harimoto of Japan in straight games, while Chen eliminated her compatriot Kuai Man 3-0.

In the men's singles, top seed Lin Shidong from China faced a tough five-game match before defeating Lin Yun-ju of Chinese Taipei with scores of 6-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-3, and 11-7. "We have faced each other several times recently, and we know each other's game well. I was able to adapt to his tactical changes this time," Lin Shidong noted.

Next, Lin will compete against his teammate Liang Jingkun, who won a full-game contest against Frenchman Felix Lebrun 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 3-11, and 11-5. China's second seed Wang Chuqin outperformed Truls Moregard of Sweden 3-0 and will face Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto for a spot in the finals.

The WTT Champions Chongqing will conclude on Sunday.