The men's team semi-finals of the 2024 Ping Pong Super League Finals were held at the Shanghai Stadium. This year's league featured nine clubs: Shandong Luneng, Shandong Weiqiao, Shanghai Real Estate, Shantou Mingrun, Huangshi Base, Shijiazhuang Shangti, Sichuan Fenggu, Shenzhen Bao'an, and Jiangsu Zhongchao Cable. After the first stage of eight rounds of round-robin matches, Huangshi Base, Shandong Weiqiao, Shantou Mingrun, and Shanghai Real Estate advanced to the finals. The 2023 Ping Pong Super League champion, Shandong Luneng, was unable to participate in this year's elimination rounds due to Ma Long's participation in the "Lao Wa Cup," significantly reducing their strength.
In the men's team semi-finals, Huangshi Base faced off against Shantou Mingrun first.
Huangshi Base, with the tenacious efforts of Lin Shidong, Xiang Peng, Xue Fei, Wei Shihao, and others, achieved an undefeated record of eight wins in the first stage, advancing to the finals as the top seed. Shantou Mingrun had only three players participating: Lin Gaoyuan, Xu Haidong, and Chen Yuanyu. However, they worked together in the first stage and advanced with a third-place finish in the group round-robin matches.
In the first doubles match, Xiang Peng/Xue Fei faced off against Xu Haidong/Lin Gaoyuan.
The configurations of both teams were quite similar, with a combination of straight and horizontal grips, and the "left-right" positioning of Lin Gaoyuan and Xu Haidong complemented each other well. Judging from the singles rankings of the two teams' players, Huangshi Base seemed to have a slight advantage in overall strength. However, for Shantou Mingrun, the men's doubles match was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for them to score points in this matchup.
After the start of the game, Xu Haidong/Lin Gaoyuan quickly entered the state, cooperating well, and won the first set with a score of 11-8; in the second set, Xiang Peng/Xue Fei fought back fiercely after falling behind, chasing from 4-8 to 8-8, but unfortunately lost the game with a score of 8-11; in the third set, they chased again from a 5-9 deficit to 9-9, but ultimately Xu Haidong/Lin Gaoyuan proved superior, winning the set 11-9 and taking the victory in the first match with a 3-0 score, successfully securing the first point for Shantou Mingrun.
In the second singles match, Lin Shidong from Huangshi Base faced Chen Yuanyu from Shantou Mingrun. This was a youthful confrontation between two 19-year-old rookies, yet there was a world of difference in their world rankings, with Lin Shidong firmly holding the second position, while Chen Yuanyu was still struggling outside the top 50. Lin Shidong excelled in backhand system play, with high-quality and fast backhand shots that had strong attacking power; on the other hand, Chen Yuanyu took advantage of his height and long arms, demonstrating great penetration when fully exerting force with his forehand, making him a formidable opponent as well.
In the first game, Lin Shidong quickly established an 8-2 lead, and judging from the overall strength comparison, Lin Shidong clearly had the upper hand, quickly winning the first game with a score of 11-3.
In the second game, Lin Shidong continued his good start, taking a 4-0 lead and expanding his advantage to 8-4, making the game seem one-sided. However, at a critical moment, Chen Yuanyu suddenly increased his intensity, strengthening his serve and attack, and with a fierce scoring spree of 6-1, he obtained a game point at 10-9. Lin Shidong successfully saved a game point, and Chen Yuanyu once again got a game point at 11-10. After a fierce battle, Chen Yuanyu eventually turned the tide with a score of 13-11, winning the second game, and the two were tied at 1-1.
In the third game, Lin Shidong rallied, taking a 4-1 lead, then went on a rampage, breaking through like a bamboo shoot, and scored four consecutive points to pull the score to 8-2. Chen Yuanyu scored three points in a row to narrow the gap, Lin Shidong strengthened his offense, got a game point at 10-5, and won another game 11-7, regaining control of the game.
In the fourth game, Lin Shidong continued his momentum, pressing forward, and took a 5-2 lead. Chen Yuanyu was not willing to be outdone, actively seeking changes, and launched a fierce scoring assault, once bringing the score to 7-7. However, Lin Shidong steadied himself at a critical moment and finally won another game 11-9, defeating Chen Yuanyu 3-1, successfully winning back a point for Huangshi Base.
In the third singles match, Xue Fei surprisingly defeated Lin Gaoyuan 3-1 with scores of 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, and 11-8. This result undoubtedly surprised many fans, as Lin Gaoyuan's strength was clearly above Xue Fei based on past performance and overall strength.
In the fourth singles match, Lin Shidong faced Xu Haidong. Lin Shidong quickly entered the state, winning three straight games with scores of 11-5, 11-4, and 11-5, easily defeating his opponent and helping Huangshi Base Huaxin Team win 3-1 overall, advancing to the final.
Lin Shidong has played 11 singles matches, with 10 wins and 1 loss, achieving a win rate of 90.9%, far ahead of the rest.