Five Chinese table tennis players reach WTT Finals singles semifinals

The 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals continued on Friday in Fukuoka, Japan, with Chinese players advancing to the semifinals in both the men's and women's singles events, while female doubles duo Qian Tianyi and Chen Xingtong faced elimination, marking a bittersweet day for China's delegation.

In the men's singles quarterfinals, defending champion Wang Chuqin faced off against Truls Moregard of Sweden in a highly-anticipated matchup. Wang started strong, taking the first game 11-6.

In the second game, Moregard regained his footing, surging to an 8-2 lead. Wang rallied to close the gap to 10-9, prompting Moregard to call a timeout. Sweden's Olympic silver medalist returned to secure the final point and level the match.

Wang responded by maintaining his composure and taking the next two games 11-6 and 11-9, sealing a 3-1 victory to book a spot in the semifinals.

"I approached this match as a challenger," Wang said. "You could see that he has made significant progress, and is in excellent form, so I had to give my all for every point."

Wang will next face Slovenia's Darko Jorgic, who defeated Germany's Benedikt Duda 3-0.

Elsewhere, World No. 2 Lin Shidong took on Qiu Dang of Germany in another quarterfinal match. Despite Qiu taking early leads in the first two games, Lin displayed resilience by flipping the script to claim those frames 11-9 and 11-6. In the third game, Lin dominated to grab an 8-1 lead, before fending off Qiu's counterattacks to close things out 11-7, securing a straight-games victory and a place in the semifinals.

While discussing his upcoming match against Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Lin noted, "We've played each other multiple times recently, and tomorrow he'll have the home-court advantage. I'll prepare for a tough battle and give it my all."

In the women's singles competition, three of the four semifinalists will be from China. Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong advanced with 3-1 and 3-0 wins over Japan's Miwa Harimoto and Miu Hirano, respectively, setting up an all-Chinese semifinal clash.

In another match, Wang Manyu triumphed over compatriot Qian Tianyi in four games 11-5, 6-11, 11-2, 11-8. She will face Romania's Bernadette Szocs in the semifinals.

"When you're playing a teammate who knows you so well, it's hard to score with quick or surprising plays," Wang explained. "It becomes more about skills and consistency in the rallies."

The Chinese pairing of Qian Tianyi and Chen Xingtong were swept in three games by Japan's defensive duo of Hitomi Sato and Honoka Hashimoto in the women's doubles semifinals. Sato and Hashimoto will meet compatriots Satsuki Odo and Sakura Yokoi in the final, ensuring an all-Japanese podium in women's doubles.

In the men's doubles final, French brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun will compete against Japan's Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami.