KITAKYUSHU, Japan, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese paddlers suffered early exits on the opening day of the 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals in Fukuoka, Japan on Wednesday.
In the men's singles highlight match, Liang Jingkun faced Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto. Harimoto clinched the first set 11-7 before extending his lead by taking the second with 11-6. Although Liang fought back with 11-9 in the third, Harimoto sealed his victory with 12-10 in the fourth set.
"Facing a seeded opponent, I knew it would be tough. After falling behind early, I focused on taking it point by point. I'm determined to win this title especially as it's the final tournament of the year," said Harimoto.
Another Chinese contender, Lin Gaoyuan, suffered a 3-0 loss to Slovenia's Darko Jorgic, ending his campaign prematurely.
In the women's singles, China's Qian Tianyi and Wang Yidi both advanced. Qian swept Puerto Rico's Adriana Diaz in straight sets, while Wang triumphed 3-1 over Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei.
But the doubles events also saw major upsets for China.
In the men's doubles, Xiang Peng and Yuan Licen of China lost 3-0 to Singapore's Pang Yew En Koen and Izaac Quek in the quarterfinals.
In the women's doubles, China's Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi were stunned 3-1 by Japan's defensive duo Hitomi Sato and Honoka Hashimoto, while Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee of South Korea also exited after a 3-0 defeat to Japan's Sakura Yokoi and Satsuki Odo.
The WTT Finals will run from November 20 to 24. ■
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