Hou Yingchao holds his daughter and son while celebrating his men's singles crown at the Chinese National Table Tennis Championships in Tianjin, China, July 29, 2019. /VCG Photo
In a majestic display of his vintage form, 39-year-old Hou Yingchao defeated Wang Chuqin 4-0 to win the men's singles title at the Chinese National Table Tennis Championships in Tianjin.
The veteran, who used the "chopper" grip technique while holding the paddle, turned back the clock to win his first singles crown since the year 2000 when he won the national event.
As the world's powerhouse in table tennis, China boasts generations of younger talent in the sport. But the brightest star at the biggest domestic table tennis tournament in China was the man from the city's Wuqing District.
In the previous rounds, Hou defeated several players who were more than 10 or 20 years younger than him and he continued his dominance over the youth by winning the first game 13-11 against an opponent who was half his age.
The 2000 national champion rode on his vast experience to take firm control from there while Wang was hindered by a shoulder injury and struggled to keep pace.
Continuing his supremacy and technical superiority, Hou left no chance for the 19-year-old and cruised to the championship triumph with the score of 13-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-2.
After accomplishing the age-defying victory, a visibly elevated Hou said, "I am very happy. I have devoted 34 years to table tennis. As a table tennis chopper, I have won two men's singles national championships. It's really a remarkable achievement. Young players may surpass me in the future, but it may take a long time. So I want to enjoy my performance in this event."
Sun Yingsha happily reads a congratulatory messages on her phone after winning the women's singles title during the Chinese National Table Tennis Championships in Tianjin, China, July 29, 2019. /VCG Photo
Meanwhile, in the women's singles, a teenager had the last laugh as 19-year-old Sun Yingsha outclassed three-time national champion Zhu Yuling 4-0 for her first title at the tournament.
Coming out guns blazing, Sun took an early lead with a powerful display of her forehand smashes.
Even though Zhu tried to come back strongly matching her young rival shot by shot, Sun held on to her nerves to stride ahead and pocketed the closely-fought opening game 11-9.
The gung-ho paddler from north China's Hebei Province kept up her good form and didn't burn much sweat to wrap up the next two games 11-4 and 11-8 to take an almost unassailable 3-0 lead.
A hapless Zhu tried to claw her way back into the match in the fourth game but Sun wrapped up the game 11-8 to secure her maiden national title.
While speaking to media persons, Sun stated, "This is my first national title in the women's singles. I won the mixed doubles in this tournament last year, but this is the first singles title. I hope I can win more titles in the future."