DURBAN, South Africa, May 21 (Xinhua) — The Chinese desk tennis gamers prolonged their flawless performances, advancing into the second spherical on the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Finals right here on Sunday.
China’s dominance on the second day of motion was underscored by an unbroken recreation victory of Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong over Japanese duo Tomokazu Harimoto and Maharu Yoshimura within the males’s doubles first spherical.
Crowned champions finally month’s World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender in Bangkok, the Lin pair confronted important challenges solely within the second recreation, however securing an 11-6, 11-9, 11-3 victory, securing their spots within the final 32.
“I was confident about our win,” Lin Gaoyuan confirmed. “We were well-prepared for the challenges as we faced such formidable opponents in our first match here. Our adjustments on the court were effective. Whether in terms of our mentality or handling of the ball, I think we did well today.”
“Our victory at the WTT Star Contender in Bangkok has fostered good chemistry. Overcoming formidable opponents in the first match boosts our confidence and furthers our chemistry,” 18-year-old Lin Shidong added.
Harimoto remained undaunted regardless of the loss, acknowledging that the Chinese pair made few unforced errors.
“After facing Chinese pairs several times, I’ve observed their quality strikes – something we need to learn from,” mentioned Harimoto, the fourth-ranked participant aiming for medals in his singles and blended doubles occasions in Durban.
In his inaugural face-off towards Ocean Belrose of French Polynesia, second seed Wang Chuqin established a cushty two-game lead by successful 11-2, 11-4. However, when Belrose altered his serve ways, it initially labored to his benefit.
Wang clinched the third recreation 11-7, transferring inside one recreation of a second-round spot. Despite Belrose’s 11-9 win within the fourth recreation, Wang refocused and secured his berth within the subsequent spherical with an 11-3 victory within the remaining recreation.
“After dropping a game, I felt I concentrated more on my strikes,” Wang defined. “He changed his serves in the fourth game. I was slightly thrown off and made some unforced errors.”
In the singles division, world No. 8 Lin Gaoyuan marched ahead, dispatching Jakub Dyjas of Poland in consecutive video games.
Their solely earlier encounter resulted in a 3-1 victory for Lin on the WTT Contender Muscat final 12 months. This time, the Chinese participant confronted little resistance in securing an 11-8, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 victory over the Pole.
“Major competition’s first couple of rounds are never easy. My opponent is strong, and it wasn’t easy to beat him last time, so I was well-prepared for the challenges today,” Lin mentioned.
Women’s singles fourth seed Wang Yidi superior by means of the primary spherical by defeating Mateja Jeger of Croatia 4-0.
Olympic champions Ma Long and Chen Meng, together with Liang Jingkun and Chen Xingtong, secured their second-round berths on Saturday.
With Fan Zhendong, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu having fun with a first-round bye, Sunday’s outcomes make sure that all Chinese gamers advance to the second spherical in each singles and doubles classes.
The most vital upset to this point in Durban occurred within the males’s singles, the place sixth-seeded Brazilian Hugo Calderano was defeated 4-2 by world No. 74 Brian Afanador of Puerto Rico.
“Experiencing highs and lows, achieving such a victory today is truly an accomplishment for me, my team, and my family. It’s genuinely emotional,” Afanador confessed.
Also on Sunday, Japan’s Mima Ito, Hina Hayata, Miu Hirano, and Miyu Nagasaki every registered a 4-0 victory within the ladies’s singles first spherical. German defender Han Ying secured her spot within the final 64 with the identical rating.
On the lads’s aspect, ninth seed Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei and No. 10 seed Qiu Dang of Germany each triumphed 4-2 of their first-round matches. .