Xinhua
19 Mar 2023, 02:05 GMT+10
SINGAPORE, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian paddler Hugo Calderano, the last non-Chinese survivor in the singles draws, fell 4-1 to Olympic champion Ma Long here on Saturday, granting an All-Chinese final in the men's singles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash.
A day earlier, the women's singles title was all but bagged by China as Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Qian Tianyi and Zhang Rui took up all four spots in Saturday's semifinals.
With a strong opening game display, 34-year-old Ma built a solid lead in the first three games and denied a late comeback from his 26-year-old opponent, wrapping up the semifinal 11-6, 11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8.
"I'm satisfied with my performance today," Ma told a post-match mixed zone. "I got most of the technical and tactical plans carried out, hit a lot of shots, and earned an upper hand early in the game."
"Hopefully, I can keep playing high-quality table tennis tomorrow in the final," he added.
A similar procedure was seen in the other men's singles semifinal, where world No. 1 and defending champion Fan Zhendong claimed a resounding win over fellow Chinese Wang Chuqin 11-6, 13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5 to secure his return to the title match.
Unlike the men's singles final pitting the current and former world No. 1s, the women's singles final on Sunday, however, will come up to an uneven showdown between top-ranked Sun Yingsha and wildcard Qian Tianyi.
Deemed the biggest surprise in the women's singles this week, Qian, who took out the likes of Mima Ito and Sofia Polcanova on her way to the semifinal, beat Zhang Rui 11-7, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 to set up the final against Sun, who dismantled Wang Manyu 11-4, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.
Also on Saturday, Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong defended their men's doubles title after seeing off 2021 World Championships silver medalists Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon of South Korea 9-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-4 in the final.
The women's doubles championship went to top-ranked pair Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha, who defeated teammates Chen Meng and Wang Yidi in full sets, 5-11, 3-11, 11-9, 11-4, 13-11. Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha took down the mixed doubles title on Thursday.
Get a daily dose of China National News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to China National News.
More InformationBEIJING, China: The Chaoyang District Intermediary Court in Beijing has begun compensation hearings for the Chinese relatives of those who ...
Israel resumed its military operation in the Gaza Strip on Friday with heavy bombardments. As strikes continue, the United States ...
LIVINGSTON, Kentucky: CSX railroad said that a failed wheel bearing on a train car caused a derailment on November 22 ...
HELSINKI, Finland: After Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) earlier this year, hundreds of migrants from the Middle ...
CHISINAU, Moldova: Over the weekend, heavy snowfall and strong blizzards in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria left one person dead and ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: After a House Ethics Committee report found substantial evidence that he broke the law, New York Republican representative ...
CANBERRA, Australia: As the first step in its efforts to curb the growing popularity of nicotine-filled devices with young people, ...
MOSCOW, Russia: Russia's trade in oil with India, one of the most lucrative oil trade routes since the imposition of ...
LONDON - Health experts and tobacco campaigners have strongly criticized New Zealand's decision to repeal laws that aimed to ban ...
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Kyar Win, spokesperson for the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, which launched a surprise offensive last month against ...
Sydney [Australia], December 3 (ANI): Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson launched a scathing attack against his ex-teammates David Warner and ...
Melbourne [Australia], December 3 (ANI): Uncapped pacer Lance Morris has been included in Australia's 14-man squad for the first Test ...