World No. 1 table tennis star Lin Shidong delivered pure entertainment in Chongqing today, surviving a fierce challenge from South Korea's An Jae-hyun in a rollercoaster WTT Champions round-of-16 clash. The 3-2 victory had fans clutching their paddles as momentum swung wildly between the two players!
After dropping the opener 13-11, the Chinese mainland athlete shifted gears dramatically , dominating games two and three 11-2 and 11-6. But An roared back in the fourth game, forcing a decider where Lin's laser focus
secured an 11-5 clincher. Next up? An all-Asian quarterfinal showdown with Chinese Taipei's Lin Yun-ju!
Other notable matches saw Chinese star Sun Yingsha (world No. 1 women's singles) breeze past Hong Kong SAR's Doo Hoi Kem 3-0, while Japan's Hina Hayata advanced with a hard-fought win over Brazil's Bruna Takahashi.
The drama continues tomorrow as players battle for a spot in the $500,000 tournament's semifinals!
Reference(s):
World No. 1 Lin Shidong survives five-game tussle at WTT Champions
cgtn.com