HE ZHUOJIA THE HERO FOR HEBEI

In the first final of the day, Hebei province won the women’s team gold medal with a stunning 3-0 victory over the hosts, Shandong.

Sun Yingsha (world-ranked #3) got Hebei off to a winning start by overcoming Gu Yuting, before He Zhuojia pulled off the biggest shock of the final, defeating Chen Meng (WR #1) in an incredible encounter that saw the Chen claw her way back from 0-2 down to tie the scores at 2-2 before He clinched the deciding game 17:15.

Zang Xiaotong defeated Wang Xiaotong in straight games to ensure that Hebei won the women’s team event at the China National Championships again after 20 years.

“This is the first time that I won the National Championships team event. The three of us played very well. We each carried out our jobs in our respective matches and we are very satisfied with the result.” – Sun Yingsha

GUANGDONG BEAT BEIJING IN EPIC FIGHTBACK

Guangdong province pulled off a thrilling comeback victory in the men’s team event, as they overturned a 0-2 deficit against a much-fancied Beijing team, which features both Ma Long, the reigning Olympic and World champion, and 20-year-old talent, Wang Chuqin.

However, it would be a veteran player to pave the way to glory for Guangdong. Zhang Chao’s win over Liu Yebo crucially kept his team in the contest after Beijing had looked to be running away with the title after Ma Long defeated Zhou Qihao and Wang Chuqin overcame Lin Gaoyuan (WR #5).

Zhang Chao’s match-saving moment inspired his team-mates, as Lin Gaoyuan put in a battling display to beat off Beijing’s legend and leader, Ma Long, in five jaw-dropping games. Then Zhou Qihao got the better of Wang Chuqin in the fifth and final match to complete a memorable turnaround for Guangdong, the men’s team champions at the 2020 China National Championships.