WASHINGTON – China’s Wang Chuqin swept Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto in the men’s singles final, while university teacher and former World Cup winner Zhu Yuling representing China's Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) returned to the top by defeating Chen Yi in a clash of female giant-killers at the WTT US Smash in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Wang, who became China’s first left-handed men’s singles world champion earlier this year, gave little chance to the third-seeded Harimoto, who has a reputation for struggling against left-handed opponents.
Displaying confidence and control, the second-seeded Wang dominated with wide-angled shots and steady rallies, securing an 11-3, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8 victory.
“I kept level-headed either in lead or trailing,” said Wang. “I felt so relieved when the tournament was over. I need a short break and come back again.”
Zhu, once a key player on the Chinese national team and now representing Macao, used her experience, strong backhands and unpredictable rhythm changes to overcome a two-set deficit and defeat Chen 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 in 56 minutes.
Zhu had previously stepped away from the sport to recover from cancer, pursue academic studies, become a professor at Tianjin University, and manage her family business. She returned to competitive play last year and upset world No. 2 Wang Manyu on her way to the final. Chen, 20, had earlier eliminated several top seeds, including reigning world champion Sun Yingsha. – Xinhua
Wang Chuqin (right) of China, winner of the men’s table-tennis singles, and Zhu Yuling of China’s Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), winner of the women’s table-tennis singles, pose with their trophies during the awarding ceremony after their final match at the WTT (World Table Tennis) United States Smash 2025 in Las Vegas on Sunday. – Xinhua
