In a thrilling final at China’s 15th National Games in the Macao SAR this Sunday, Shanghai’s Olympic champion Fan Zhendong toppled Hainan’s Lin Shidong in five games to claim men’s singles table tennis gold. The 28-year-old star rallied from an early deficit to win 4-1 and secure his second major title of the year after stepping away from the ITTF world rankings in January.
Fan’s victory also marked his 10th medal at the top domestic multi-sport event, the most among active paddlers in China. Only Ma Long has ever retained a singles title at the Games; now Fan joins that elite club 🎉.
The match began with Lin racing to a 9-4 lead in game one, but Fan fought back for an 11-9 win. Lin bounced back to take game two 11-8, leveling the score.
From there, Fan dominated. He opened game three with a 7-1 lead before closing it 11-5. Game four saw an even stronger 11-3 performance. In the final game, Fan surged ahead 4-0 and held on for an 11-4 victory, sealing a memorable 4-1 win.
Beijing’s Wang Chuqin rounded out the podium by beating Liaoning’s Yuan Licen 4-1 to claim bronze. Fans around the region celebrated another thrilling showdown that highlights the depth of China’s table tennis talent.
With the National Games wrapping up, many eyes turn to upcoming international tournaments where Fan and the next generation of stars like Lin will look to shine on the world stage 🌍🏓.
Reference(s):
Fan defeats Lin in men's singles table tennis final at National Games
cgtn.com
