Chinese paddlers Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin clinched the women's and men's singles titles respectively at the World Table Tennis Champions Chongqing.
CHONGQING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese paddlers Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin emerged as the respective women's and men's singles winners at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Chongqing on Sunday.
Sun retained her title with a straight-game victory over Chen Xingtong, 11-7, 11-4, 12-10, 11-7. The world No. 1 dominated rallies from the outset, leaving her opponent little chance throughout the final.
Earlier in the day, Sun fought back from two games down to overcome third-seeded Wang Yidi 4-2 in the semifinal.
"I played well in both the semifinal and the final. I was more focused on the court," said Sun. "Coming back from two games down to win the semifinal paves the way for my performance in the final. I took the initiative on my first three strokes and rallies. Therefore, I had a firm grip on the match."
Second seed Wang Manyu was forced to withdraw from her semifinal clash against Chen in the fourth game due to injury, sending fourth-ranked Chen into the title match.
In the men's singles final featuring the world's top two paddlers, second-seeded Wang Chuqin, last year's runner-up in Chongqing, defeated top seed Lin Shidong 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.
With this victory, Wang is set to surpass Lin and reclaim the top position in the world rankings next week.
"Facing Lin, I had not expected to win this match and just wanted to enjoy it," explained Wang. "Considering his recent form, he might be the favorite to win, so my mindset was to fight for every point."
After Wang's 4-1 comeback victory over Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan, China effectively swept both titles on offer. Lin defeated teammate Liang Jingkun 4-1 to secure the other final spot, also earning his 100th singles victory in WTT events.
Following the conclusion of the first WTT Champions event of the season, the next WTT Champions tournament will be held in Incheon, South Korea, from April 1 to 6. ■