Four Chinese national table tennis players faced unexpected defeats during the WTT2024 Saudi Grand Slam on May 6. Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan, and Wang Manyu all fell in the top 32 of their respective events.
In the men’s singles competition, Liang Jingkun, the fourth-ranked player in the world, lost a close match to Iranian player Aramyan with a score of 2:3. Despite holding a 2:1 lead, Liang was unable to secure the victory, ultimately succumbing to his opponent in the decisive game.
Similarly, Ma Long suffered a 0:3 defeat to Korean player Zhang Yuzhen, while Lin Gaoyuan lost to Danish player Grote with a score of 1:3. On the bright side, world number one Wang Chuqin managed to eliminate Romanian player Ionescu in straight games.
In the women’s singles category, Wang Manyu, the second seed, was unexpectedly defeated by Indian player Batra with a score of 1:3. However, Olympic champion Chen Meng and Wang Yidi both secured victories in their matches, advancing to the next round.
In the mixed doubles event, the top-ranked duo of Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin easily defeated their opponents Alhad Ravi and Gowda with a score of 3:0, clinching a spot in the quarter-finals.
The Chinese team will look to rebound from these setbacks and regroup for the remainder of the tournament as they aim for success in the Saudi Grand Slam.