Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu show their worth!
Attracting great attention around the world with the mixed doubles event being added to next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games, the final in Weihai presented an opportunity to impress. A fierce battle from start to finish, it was the pair of Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu who caught the eye!
Two partnerships familiar with one another, the early stages of play proved too close to call and could easily have gone either way. The narrowest of margins decided the opening two games, with Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu claiming a crucial 2-0 lead.
Down, but when Xu Xin and Sun Yingsha are in action, nothing can ever be ruled out! Taking their game up another level, the highly rated duo managed to pull one back, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
However, just as their opponents raised their game, so did Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu as they powered to convincing scores in games four and five. A 4-1 victory for Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu (13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-1, 11-5), and with it the mixed doubles title!
The result comes with a sense of sweet revenge for Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu, having lost out to Xu Xin and Sun Yingsha in the mixed doubles final at the Tokyo 2020 Preparation for China Table Tennis Team – Olympic Simulation Games in August.
Champions react
“Manyu has always been on the court to mobilise and encourage me. She played this game well… She gave me a very strong belief to get the win.” Wang Chuqin
“This game panned out just as I said it would before the game. We are very strong and open. This game is also a test of my training results during the epidemic. I live very hard and desperately every day, and I have some improvements in technology. The improvement in technology has given me more confidence.” Wang Manyu
You can watch both finals LIVE on the ITTF’s Facebook and YouTube channels:
Singles Round of 16 (10:00 local / 02:00 GMT)
Doubles Quarter-Finals (14:00 local / 06:00 GMT)
Singles Quarter-Finals (19:00 local / 11:00 GMT)