Chen Xingtong wins maiden WTT Champions title, Wang falls to Harimoto at Yokohama

Chen Xingtong of China won the women's singles title at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Yokohama that ended in Japan on Monday. The men's singles honor went to home favorite Tomokazu Harimoto.

Chinese players dominated the women's event, as Sun Yingsha, Chen, Wang Yidi, and Shi Xunyao swept all four semifinal spots to secure the championship in advance. In the semifinals, Sun overcame Shi, while Chen defeated Wang.

Before Monday's clash, Sun held a 9-3 head-to-head advantage over Chen in international competition, including a 4-1 victory in their most recent meeting in the women's singles semifinal at the World Cup in April.

In the final, Sun took the opening game 11-6, but Chen gradually seized the initiative, winning the next three games 11-8, 11-3, and 11-5 to lead 3-1. Sun pulled one back with an 11-6 win in the fifth, but Chen sealed the match 11-5 in the sixth to prevail 4-2.

"It has been a long time since I last finished as the winner, and I was still very excited at the moment the final ball landed," Chen said after the match. "To play against a strong opponent, I neither gave up nor overwhelmed by the atmosphere or pressure, but fought with all I had."

Describing both the semifinal and final as "high-quality battles," she admitted she was at a disadvantage in shot quality and physical strength compared with Sun and Wang Yidi, but relied on defense and tactical adjustments to create chances.

In the men's singles semifinals, China's Wang Chuqin and Japan's Harimoto beat Truls Moregard of Sweden and the Kanak Jha of the United States, respectively.

Despite Wang's 12-2 head-to-head lead before the final, Harimoto started strong, taking the first three games 11-9, 11-5, and 11-8. Wang fought back with wins of 11-9 and 13-11 to close the gap to 3-2, but in the sixth, after leading 4-2, he saw Harimoto call a medical timeout before reeling off seven straight points to clinch the game 11-4 and the match 4-2.