Sports
2020.03.08 10:33 GMT+8

Qatar Open: China sweeps men's and women's doubles

Updated 2020.03.08 10:33 GMT+8
CGTN

China's Wang Manyu (L) and Zhu Yuling play in China Open women's doubles final in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, June 1, 2019. /VCG

Team China proved dominant in the doubles events as Wang Manyu and Zhu Yuling claimed the women's doubles title, followed by Ma Long and his partner Xu Xin who took the men's doubles crown during the Qatar Open table tennis tournament on Saturday.

In the women's final, Wang and Zhu overcame Japanese duo Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki with a 3-1 victory at the Doha-based competition, also an event of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Platinum held between March 3 and 8.

Later, Team China's top two male players, Ma and Xu, paired to take the top prize with also a 3-1 victory over British duo Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford, who entered the ITTF World Tour doubles final for the first time.

"We haven't paired in doubles for a long time after winning world doubles champions nine years ago," said Xu.

"The pairing is a new lineup preparing for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games," he added.

"I believe mutual trust is the most important thing that inspires us to win the competition."

Ma and Xu promised to donate their prize money to Wuhan, the epicenter of COVID-19 in central China's Hubei Province.

In the mixed doubles final, Japan's  Mima Ito and Jun Mizutani beat China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha 3-1 to take the top honor.

Copyright © 

RELATED STORIES