Hey table tennis fans! Exciting action unfolded at the WTT Contender in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. Home favorite Xiang Peng stunned the crowd by bouncing back after an 11-6 set loss, then winning three straight games (11-7, 11-7, 11-9) to secure his spot in the last 16. He now gears up to face Sweden's Kristian Karlsson in what promises to be an electrifying match! 🏓🔥
In another thrilling encounter, Chen Yuanyu battled Japan's Maharu Yoshimura in a five-game showdown. Chen started strong with two wins (11-7, 11-8), but Yoshimura fought back with two tight sets (12-10, 11-7). Undeterred, Chen clinched the final decider 11-5. "I was a little upset for the decider, but I had a good start with my serves," he shared, highlighting how building an early lead helped him pull through. Next, he'll face fellow competitor Wen Ruibo.
On the women's side, top seed Qian Tianyi handled Japan's Asuka Sasao in three straight games. A nail-biting 13-11 win in the opener was followed by two solid victories (11-8, 11-8), earning her a spot in the round of 16 where she'll meet Zhu Yuling of China's Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Zong Geman delivered a stunning comeback against Japan's Anne Uesawa in a five-game thriller. After dropping the first game 3-11, Zong surged with two emphatic wins (11-2, 11-9). Although Uesawa captured the fourth game (11-9), Zong sealed the decider 11-9 to move forward to face Shi Xunyao in an anticipated all-Chinese clash.
In mixed doubles, the dynamic duo of Xiang Peng and Liu Weishan rallied after losing the opening set 13-11 against the American pairing of Kai Zhang and Zhen Deng. They stormed back to take the next three games (11-3, 11-5, 14-12), setting up a quarterfinal battle with the top-seeded home pair Xue Fei and Qian.
The competition at Taiyuan is heating up with showcases of resilience, skill, and epic comebacks that keep fans on the edge of their seats. Stay tuned for more thrilling updates! 😊
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
