Sun Yingsha fulfills her “master and apprentice” promise to win the championship
The 2023 China Table Tennis Club Super League finals were held in Shenzhen the day before yesterday to determine the championship. The Shandong Luneng team led by Ma Long won the men’s team championship, and the Shenzhen University team led by Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha won the women’s team championship.
The men’s team final held that day was the “Shandong Derby”. The Shandong Weiqiao team faced the defending champion Shandong Luneng. In the first doubles match, they sent the main national table tennis players Wang Chuqin/Liang Jingkun. The two had a bad start and lost to Luneng 0:3. Yuan Lizen/Xu Yingbin of the team. In the subsequent singles match, Ma Long defeated Zhou Qihao in three straight games, extending the Luneng team’s lead to 2:0. Liang Jingkun withstood the pressure in the third set when he had no retreat, and defeated Xu Yingbin 3:1 to help Wei Qiao regain a point. In the fourth set, Yuan Lizen defeated Zhou Qihao 3:1 and secured the championship for Shandong Luneng.
The competition for the women’s team championship was even more stalemate. The Shenzhen University team, which has two Olympic champions, Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha, defeated Wang Manyu’s Shandong Luneng women’s team 3:2 to win the championship. In the first doubles match, Kuaiman/Chen Meng defeated Fan Siqi/Qian Tianyi 3:2, giving the Shenzhen University team the lead. In the second set, Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha staged a “strong dialogue”. Wang Manyu narrowly won 3:2 and regained a victory for the Shandong Luneng team. Then Chen Meng defeated Qian Tianyi 3:0, Kuaiman lost 0:3 to Wang Manyu, and the two sides tied at 2:2. In the decisive set, Sun Yingsha defeated Fan Siqi 3:0, and the Shenzhen University women’s team reached the top again after three years.
Chen Meng, who scored two valuable points for the team, said winning the first doubles match was very crucial. “I am very happy to win this championship for Shenzhen University again. I hope to enter next year with good luck.”
Liang Jingkun and Wang Manyu were awarded the best men’s and women’s athletes in the 2023 Table Tennis Super League respectively.
There has always been a saying in the Table Tennis Super League that “the one who wins Malone wins the world.” The wonderful final last night once again verified this statement.
2023 will be Ma Long’s 20th year being selected for the national table tennis team. From a young boy to a “hexagonal warrior” in the table tennis world, he dedicated the best years of his life to national table tennis. In these 20 years, Malone won 27 world championships, won five gold medals in three Olympic Games, and achieved a double-lap Grand Slam. He continued to write a long and glorious resume with hard work and sweat, and fans couldn’t help but admire: “As long as you have love in your heart, Malone will always be in his prime!”
The 2023 China Table Tennis Club Super League Finals is a major event at the end of the year, and its level is undoubtedly the best in the world. As the defending champion, Shandong Luneng has national table tennis captain Ma Long and national players such as Yuan Lizen, Liu Dingshuo, Xu Yingbin and Yan An. With this championship, Ma Long unlocked a new record and achieved seven table tennis championships. The years he led the team to win the championship include 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020, 2022, and 2023. After the game, Malone concluded: “This was a very good final game. I am more confident than in 2022, and I hope I can maintain this state in the future.”
In the eyes of many people, Malone, who has returned from the Tokyo Olympics with great success, will start a new life. However, as a 35-year-old veteran, he still chooses to stick to the game, always maintaining a high sense of responsibility and mission, and becoming a role model for young people to learn from. Xu Yingbin said frankly that under the leadership of Brother Long, she and Yuan Lizen were very motivated in the doubles. They didn’t have too many thoughts in mind, they just went hard and played to their own level. And this is the value of Malone. Not only does he fight on the front line, he can also become the anchor of the team. Whether in the national team or the club team, he is a unique existence.
In the women’s team finals, Shenzhen University, where Sun Yingsha sits, won the Table Tennis Super League “Feng Cup”. Sun Yingsha also once again fulfilled her agreement with her “apprentice” Chen Qingchen to win the championship.
Sun Yingsha and Chen Qingchen’s cross-sport “mentor-disciple” relationship was forged during the Tokyo Olympics during the process of collecting badges. Since then, the two have become good sisters who encourage each other before the game. Chen Qingchen also worshiped Sun Yingsha as his teacher and wanted to learn table tennis from Sun Yingsha. At the Copenhagen Badminton World Championships in August this year, Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan made history by winning the women’s doubles championship for the fourth time. Sun Yingsha left a message to her “loved disciples”: “I applaud you at this moment! Keep working hard!”
On Sun Yingsha’s 23rd birthday on November 4 this year, Chen Qingchen sent her blessings and thanked her for comforting him after the national feather team lost the Asian Games women’s team gold medal. According to her, it was Sun Yingsha’s encouragement that made her bounce back faster.
Not long ago, the WTT Women’s Finals and the BWF Year-End Finals were held at almost the same time. Sun Yingsha, ranked No. 1 in the world, defeated her teammate Wang Yidi 4-2, achieving her third consecutive championship in this event. Chen Qingchen partnered with Jia Yifan to win the women’s doubles championship in the Badminton Federation Finals. The two once again became the world champion partnership praised by fans and netizens.
Before the finals, Sun Yingsha and Chen Qingchen agreed to win the championship together. As a result, both sisters won the championship, which became a good story. Back in Beijing, the two exchanged championship trophies and medals. The Table Tennis Super Women’s Team won the championship last night. Sun Yingsha brought a successful conclusion to her 2023 competition journey. Her championship agreement with Chen Qingchen was once again fulfilled.
2023 will be a fruitful year for Sun Yingsha. This year, she won a total of 7 women’s singles championships, including the three championships with the highest points: the Singapore Grand Slam, the Durban World Table Tennis Championships, and the Nagoya Finals. The number one female table tennis player in the world. Sun Yingsha concluded: “I am very satisfied with my 2023. I have gained a lot this year, but more importantly, I am looking forward to my 2024 and striving for better performance. Thank you very much for your continued support of the Chinese table tennis team and us. We hope to be able to present more exciting games to everyone in the future.” (Reporter Zhou Xueshuai)