Wang Chuqin in action during the men's singles final against Ma Long at the World Table Tennis Champions Macao on April 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)
China's Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu won the men's and women's singles titles respectively at WTT Champions Macao.
MACAO, April 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu were crowned again in the men's and women's singles respectively at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Macao here on Sunday.
In the men's singles final, 22-year-old Wang Chuqin defended his title after closing out a dominant 4-0 win over double Olympic gold medalist Ma Long 12-10, 11-1, 11-8, 11-7.
Both players flew out of the starting blocks at top speed, but Ma failed to capitalize on several opportunities, leaving second seed Wang enough room to race 2-0 in front.
Frustrated by the opening stages of the match, Ma struggled to get back on track while Wang remained focused and approached each point with excellent balance to inch closer to victory.
"I was very happy to win against Ma Long, but I still had some problems during the match. I had a slow start and I need to analyze this problem later. This championship gives me a lot of confidence," Wang said after the match.
In the women's singles final, second seed Wang Manyu lifted the second WTT Champions trophy after fighting from behind to defeat Olympic champion Chen Meng 4-2 (11-13, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8).
Chen enjoyed the brighter start to the final, but Wang slowly began to work her way up into the contest, digging deep to move ahead and putting her foot firmly on the accelerator to close out the match in style.
"I handled the key shots a little better today. The championship gives me confidence, which will help me keep a good form in the following matches," Wang said. ■
