Chen stuns Harimoto, Shi triumphs in an all-Chinese duel at WTT Contender Muscat
Muscat, Jan 17 (IANS) Chinese teenager Chen Yuanyu shocked World No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan 4-2 to capture the men’s singles title, while Shi Xunyao emerged as the winner in an all-Chinese women’s singles final over Kuai Man in straight games at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Muscat on Friday.
Chen, currently sitting 51 positions below Harimoto on the world rankings, fell 8-11 in the opening game, while winning 11-7, and 11-7 in the next two games to turn the tables.
Although the top seed Harimoto levelled the match 11-3 in the fourth game, the 19-year-old Chinese held on to triumph 11-4, 12-10 to notch one of the biggest victories in his career, reports Xinhua.
Facing Kuai, winner of the title in last week’s WTT Star Contender Doha, Shi took command with an 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4 victory.
Also on Friday, Japanese paddlers claimed both titles in doubles events, with Tomokazu Harimoto and Sora Matsushima coming on top in the men’s doubles, while Satsuki Odo and Sakura Yokoi were crowned the women’s doubles champions. In Thursday’s mixed doubles final, second seeds Alvaro Robles and Maria Xiao of Spain dispatched Chinese qualifiers Huang Youzheng and Shi Xunyao 3-1.
The next WTT Series event will be the Singapore Smash from January 30 to February 9.
Earlier in November, China claimed all five titles in WTT Contender Muscat concluded in the capital of Oman. After pairing up to clinch the mixed doubles title, Lin Shidong and Kuai Man went on to secure singles titles in their respective finals against Chinese teammates.
In the men’s singles, Lin endured a tough semifinal battle against Japan’s Yukiya Uda, ultimately prevailing to set up a title clash with Wen Ruibo. After the two finalists each won a game, Lin raised his level, taking control of the match and winning the next three games to secure a 4-1 victory.
On the women’s side, Kuai carried momentum from her semifinal victory over Japan’s top seed Satsuki Odo, the WTT Champions Montpellier winner. Kuai built a 3-1 lead against Qian Tianyi in the final. Although Qian pulled one game back, Kuai remained steady, clinching the match 11-9 in the sixth game.
–IANS
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