Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan of China compete during the men's doubles final against Jeoung Youngsik/Lee Sangsu of South Korea at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Austrian Open in Linz, Austria on November 16, 2019. / Xinhua Photo
The Chinese pair of Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun won the men's doubles title at the ITTF World Tour in Austria on Saturday. Lin and Liang registered their emphatic 3-0 win in the final against the South Korean pair of Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu.
Earlier, Lin and Liang displayed their sheer dominance and took an 8-3 lead before the Koreans fought back valiantly to show some promise. However, the Chinese duo held on to their lead and won the first game 11-8. They continued with their sublime form in the second game as well but once again faced a tough challenge from their rivals. The game saw the score tied at 10-10 before Liang's powerful forehand brought up the game point, and the Chinese eventually won the game 12-10.
The third game also went down to the wire as the neck and neck battle continued. But the Chinese pair prevailed in the end and snatched the decisive game as well as the winner's medal.
Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan of China compete during the men's doubles final against Jeoung Youngsik/Lee Sangsu of South Korea at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Austrian Open in Linz, Austria on November 16, 2019. / Xinhua Photo
Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles, China's Lin Gaoyuan and Zhu Yuling went down fighting against their Japanese rivals Harimoto Tomokazu and Hayata Hina 1-3. The Chinese pair made a shaky start as their rivals took an early 9-4 lead before wrapping up the game 11-5. However, Lin and Zhu showed some resilience and clawed their way back into the game. The PRC duo won the second game, but a slew of errors in the third saw the Japanese clinching the third game. Harimoto and Hayata were on song in the fourth game and won it without burning much sweat to bag the title.