Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha lived up to their top positions in the world rankings as both won all-Chinese finals at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Xinxiang on Saturday.
The WTT Champions event ran from April 9 to 15 in Xinxiang, central China's Henan Province, and only featured men's and women's singles events. It will be followed by WTT Champions Macao, which is set to take place between April 17 and 23.
China's Fan Zhendong (R) shakes hands with Liang Jingkun after their men's singles final during the WTT Champions event in Xinxiang, China, April 15, 2023. /CFP
Men's world No. 1 Fan outplayed Liang Jingkun 4-1 in the final.
"Liang got into this match very quickly. I started to make adjustment midway through the first game. Winning the first two games was quite crucial for me," Fan said.
"I had some ups and downs in previous matches during this tournament, with some of them decided by just a few points. I was in danger in every match and on the brink of losing, but coming through this to win the title will boost my confidence," he added.
China's Sun Yingsha (R) and Wang Yidi take a selfie on the podium after their women's singles final during the WTT Champions event in Xinxiang, China, April 15, 2023. /CFP
In the women's final, world No.1 Sun took the title with a 4-1 victory over Wang Yidi.
"I have been in fine form and adjusted my mentality well recently," Sun said. "As the match progressed, mentality was more important as we are familiar with each other and close in terms of our level. With good mentality, I was really focused on the game today."
"Wang started strongly and did better in connection between her hits. I made full preparation for the difficulties, whether leading or trailing at the start, or even playing seven games. I just fought for every point on the court," she explained.
(With input from Xinhua)