China secures both men and women's singles titles at ITTF Finals
CGTN

Chinese men's table tennis national team captain Ma Long beat his teammate Xuxin 4-1 to set up a final clash with Fan Zhendong at ITTF Finals in Zhengzhou, the capital of central China's Henan Province, on Saturday.  

32-year-old Ma is on the path to earn his sixth ITTF Finals title on Sunday. 

Xu Xin of China competes match against Ma Long of China in the Men's Singles Semifinals during the 2020 ITTF Finals in Zhengzhou, China, November 21, 2020. /VCG

Xu Xin of China competes match against Ma Long of China in the Men's Singles Semifinals during the 2020 ITTF Finals in Zhengzhou, China, November 21, 2020. /VCG

Earlier, defending champion Fan defeated South Korea's Jang Woojin 4-1. 

Meanwhile, on the women's side, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu helped China secure the women's singles title after beating their respective rivals. 

In a repeat of the World Cup final in 12 days, Chen got an upper hand at an early stage, going ahead with two straight points after a 9-9 tie in the opening game. 

Chen continued her momentum to pocket the next three games at 11-8, 11-8, 12-10. 

Mima Ito of Japan (up) competes against Wang Manyu of China in the Women's Singles Semifinals during the 2020 ITTF Finals in Zhengzhou, China, November 21, 2020. /VCG

Mima Ito of Japan (up) competes against Wang Manyu of China in the Women's Singles Semifinals during the 2020 ITTF Finals in Zhengzhou, China, November 21, 2020. /VCG

"It's our third encounter in recent days, and mentally I have some edges over her as I won our previous two meetings," said Chen. 

"I expected it to be a tough match. Despite a lop-sided victory, I thought in every game there were some crucial points and I was quite lucky to go through," she added. 

"I had some chances, while failing to show my character today," Sun lamented. 

In another semifinal, leading 8-2 over Japan's Mima Ito in head-to-heads, Wang finished her job in a dominant fashion, shrugging off the Japanese ace 11-3, 11-4, 11-9 and 11-6.

(With input from Xinhua)