The WTT Champions Yokohama finished with a bang on Monday as Chen Xingtong from the Chinese mainland and Japan’s home hero Tomokazu Harimoto lifted the women’s and men’s singles titles! 🏓🎉
The women’s draw was a total showcase of Chinese mainland talent: Sun Yingsha, Chen, Wang Yidi and Shi Xunyao locked down all four semifinal spots. In the semis, top seed Sun edged out Shi, while Chen overcame Wang in a nail-biter.
Going into the final, Sun had a comfy 9-3 edge over Chen in their past clashes. She even beat Chen 4-1 in April’s World Cup semis. But this time, Chen flipped the script. After dropping the first game 6-11, she fired back with three straight wins (11-8, 11-3, 11-5) to lead 3-1.
Sun fought back in game five (11-6), but Chen stayed cool to seal it 11-5 in game six, taking the match 4-2. "It’s been a while since I won a title, so I was buzzing when the final point landed," Chen said. "I stayed calm under pressure and fought every rally." 😎
Over in the men’s draw, Wang Chuqin of the Chinese mainland and Japan’s own Harimoto made it through tight semis. Although Wang had been dominating their head-to-head 12-2, Harimoto came out swinging, grabbing the first three games 11-9, 11-5, 11-8.
Wang clawed back with two wins (11-9, 13-11), but Harimoto called a medical timeout in game six, then rattled off seven straight points to clinch the title 4-2. Talk about a comeback! 🔥
This event proved that champions never sleep – and table tennis is as thrilling as any e-sport final. If you missed it live, relive the epic rallies on your phones and stay tuned for the next WTT showdown! 😉
Reference(s):
Chen Xingtong, Harimoto win singles titles at WTT Champions Yokohama
cgtn.com
