World top-ranked mixed pair Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin claimed the title of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender Ljubljana after clinching a 3-1 victory over compatriots Qian Tianyi and Liang Jingkun in Slovenia on Saturday.

Top seeds Sun and Wang led most of the opening game in the title showdown but faced fierce resistance as Qian and Liang worked their way to a game-point opportunity at 10-9.

Sun and Wang did well to recover from the deficit, landing three points in a row to claim the game 12-10. However, Qian and Liang showed great fighting spirit in the second game to level the score 11-9. Sun and Wang responded with back-to-back game wins, 11-4 and 11-7, to secure the victory. 

"Both sides played well in today's match. The first two games were very intense. Liang and Qian are very energetic in this tournament, and their overall cooperation was of high quality," said Sun. "We're well-prepared for difficult situations and keep focused on every point." 

"Shasha (Sun) delivered very stable play in Ljubljana, and we tried to find out the best way that fits us. Meanwhile, we are also clear on what we still need to work on, and we will continue to improve ourselves through future competitions," said Wang. 

The result sees Sun and Wang take home their fourth mixed title of the year following successful outings at the Singapore Smash, ITTF World Championships and last week's WTT Contender Zagreb. 

The duo extended their incredible winning run on the world stage with their last defeat as a pair three years ago at the hands of Mima Ito and Jun Mizutani from Japan at the 2020 ITTF Qatar Open. 

China's players have secured the titles in the men's and women's singles and the men's doubles in advance, making Sunday's finals in these events an all-Chinese affair. 

Wang Yidi/ Kuai Man will face off against 60-year-old veteran Ni Xialian and Sarah De Nutte of  Luxembourg in the women's doubles event.

(With input from Xinhua)