China enjoys clean sweep at WTT Saudi Smash

China's Chen Meng and Wang Chuqin won the women's and the men's singles titles, respectively, at the 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) Saudi Smash on Saturday as the team wrapped up the tournament with a clean sweep of all five trophies.

The women's singles final witnessed a rematch of the classic showdown from Tokyo 2020. World No. 4 and Olympic champion Chen Meng beat top-ranked world champion Sun Yingsha 4-2.

In the opening game, Sun swiftly gained momentum to lead 11-6. Chen staged a remarkable comeback in the second game with an 11-5 win. The third game saw both players engaged in a neck-and-neck battle, with the score tied at 4-4 early on. Chen managed to break the deadlock with a four-point streak and took the game 11-8. 

In the fourth game, Chen displayed unwavering dominance, racing to a 5-1 lead. Although Sun launched a comeback bid toward the end of the game, leveling the score at 9-9, Chen maintained her composure to secure another win with 11-9, leading 3-1 overall. Sun responded with a 11-6 win in the fifth game to cut the deficit, but she struggled with errors in the next game, allowing Chen to surge to a 5-1 lead. Despite Sun's efforts to fend off four match points, Chen capitalized on a crucial opportunity with a powerful serve to seal her victory with 11-8.

Later in the men's singles final, top-ranked Wang Chuqin faced off against German Patrick Franziska. Wang also secured the victory with a 4-2 scoreline to achieve a hat trick in the tournament, having won the mixed doubles with Sun and the men's doubles with Olympic champion Ma Long. 

Wang dominated the opening exchanges, winning the first three games 11-2, 11-7, and 11-5. Despite a resilient fightback from Franziska, who claimed the next two games 12-8, 12-10, Wang regained control in the sixth game with 11-6.

After the last victory, Wang made a "3" gesture with his hand, signifying his achievement of three titles that befell on his 24th birthday, celebrated by a cheering crowd and the Saudi Arabian tournament organizers who prepared a birthday cake for him.

The 2024 WTT Saudi Smash marked the inaugural event organized by the WTT in partnership with Saudi Arabia. According to reports, WTT plans to continue hosting Grand Slam events in Saudi Arabia in the coming years, further promoting the development of table tennis in the region and providing more opportunities for players and enthusiasts worldwide.

(With input from Xinhua)