In the grand stage of the Chinese Super League women's team final, a highly anticipated match unfolded on January 1st, Beijing time. The reigning champions, Shenzhen University Team, led by Sun Yingsha, faced off against the elite national table tennis players of Shandong Luneng Team, including Wang Manyu, Qian Tianyi, and Chen Xingtong, in an intense battle for the championship title. Given that Shandong Luneng narrowly lost to Shenzhen University last year, securing the runner-up trophy, this rematch was a determined effort for Wang Manyu and her teammates to avenge their defeat and reclaim glory.
Before the match, Shenzhen University, with the world's top-ranked female singles player Sun Yingsha, had a fan base that almost occupied all seats in the venue. It is no exaggeration to say that approximately 90% of the audience were supporters of Shenzhen University. Facing such immense away pressure, Shandong Luneng would face a significant challenge if they were to successfully "revenge" and claim the championship.
The two teams, as last year's champions and runners-up, met again in the finals, undoubtedly benefiting from the presence of national table tennis veterans in their respective lineups. Shenzhen University, in addition to Sun Yingsha, the world-class player, also had the support of Kuai Man, a rising star in the national table tennis team; while Shandong Luneng relied on the presence of Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong, both world champions, making them a formidable force. In the first doubles match, the partnership of Chen Xingtong and Qian Tianyi defeated Kuai Man and Tan Yuanyuan's combination 3-1, giving Shandong Luneng an early lead. The subsequent women's singles highlight featured a direct confrontation between Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, two mainstays of the national table tennis team, pushing the match to its peak viewership. Despite Wang Manyu's valiant efforts amidst the cheers of Sun Yingsha's fans, she ultimately lost 2-3, bringing both sides back to an even starting point.
In the following matches, world number four Chen Xingtong won 3-1 against Kuai Man, adding another point for Shandong Luneng. Sun Yingsha then艰难地以3比2战胜曾在国家队担任自己陪练的钱天一，将比分扳至2比2平。The suspense of the final was preserved until the very end, with the decisive match pitting Wang Manyu against Tan Yuanyuan. In terms of strength, Wang Manyu clearly had the upper hand. However, due to the presence of Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu was constantly subjected to significant interference from the stands during the match. It was against this backdrop that the most controversial point of the women's team final emerged in the fifth set.
In this tense and fierce match, Wang Manyu's key moment of raising her fist and roaring seemed to be a response to the cheers of Sun Yingsha's fans, while Chen Xingtong marveled, saying, "You're amazing, daring to stand up against the shouts of tens of thousands!" This scene undoubtedly became one of the most talked-about moments of the match. During the intense competition, Wang Manyu demonstrated outstanding performance, advancing into the crucial fourth set with a 2-1 score advantage. When the fourth set reached a stalemate at 1-1, controversy erupted on the court. Tan Yuanyuan's action was suspected of constituting a double bounce, leading to a double hit penalty by the referee, awarding a point to Wang Manyu and updating the score to 2-1. However, Tan Yuanyuan contested the decision, firmly believing she had not violated any rules and immediately appealed to the referee. A careful review of the video replay revealed that the suspicion of a double hit was difficult to conclusively determine, sparking a ten-minute-long heated discussion between both teams, causing the match to be interrupted.
During this lengthy ten-minute period, Wang Manyu and Tan Yuanyuan engaged in extensive communication with the refereeing team, and Wang Manyu even specifically approached the Shenzhen University bench to have a face-to-face conversation with teammate Sun Yingsha. It appeared that they were discussing how to handle the complex situation on site. Despite multiple attempts by both teams, the chief referee was unable to make a final decision on the disputed ball, and after five unsuccessful attempts, the chief referee ultimately decided to overturn the decision, declaring the ball invalid and requiring the two to restart the set.
After the match, this incident sparked widespread attention and discussion online. Surprisingly, however, the focus of the controversy was not the players or their teammates, but the excessive interference from the spectators. In the complete video footage released, it is clear to see that when the referee initially awarded a point to Wang Manyu, the spectators were dissatisfied with the decision and shouted "black whistle" in unison, erupting into deafening cheers as Wang Manyu prepared to serve, forcing the match to be interrupted once again.
Facing this predicament, Wang Manyu displayed remarkable professionalism and team spirit. She directly approached the Shenzhen University substitutes' bench to engage in deep communication with Sun Yingsha. From their body language, it could be inferred that they were discussing how to deal with the interference from the spectators. After the communication, Wang Manyu returned to the table to continue the match.
However, when Wang Manyu attempted to serve for the second time, the entire venue erupted in massive interference once again. Wang Manyu helplessly stopped her serving motion and touched her head, causing the match to be interrupted for the second time. Although the Shenzhen University players indicated acceptance of the decision, Wang Manyu still faced immense pressure. During her third serving attempt, the interference from the spectators continued unabated, despite repeated calls for calm over the loudspeakers by the on-site host, resulting in the match being unable to proceed.
At this critical juncture, the chief referee decisively intervened, making the final decision on the dispute. This incident not only tested the psychological quality and response capabilities of the players but also provoked profound reflection on the norms of spectator behavior in sports events.
When the chief referee officially initiated discussions with Wang Manyu and Tan Yuanyuan, the spectators at the venue continued to exert pressure on the refereeing team with persistent shouts of "black whistle." Despite this, the chief referee remained firm in the original decision, maintaining the score at 2-1, and the match continued after consensus was reached between both sides.
Interestingly, although the referee's decision had been settled and there were no objections from the players or their respective teams, the emotions of the spectators proved difficult to calm. The shouts of "black whistle" and interference grew louder, causing Wang Manyu to fail in her consecutive serving attempts four and five times. Faced with this situation, the chief referee and the on-site referees re-engaged in in-depth communication with Wang Manyu, followed by the coach of Shandong Luneng joining the discussion. This exchange lasted for more than three minutes.
Subsequently, a surprising turn of events occurred. Amid nearly ten minutes of continuous strong interference, the chief referee decided to change the score to 1-1 and requested both sides to restart the contest for the third ball. Wang Manyu, with a look of dissatisfaction and muttering to herself, approached the table, and only when the spectators' emotions were somewhat calmed did the match resume normal play. This ten-minute storm on the court sparked widespread controversy after the match, and Wang Manyu's mentality was severely affected, prompting her to immediately request a timeout to adjust her state.
After the match, well-known journalist He Xiaolong released the complete ten-minute video and candidly pointed out, "This is the truth! Some people are distorting the facts, accusing Wang Manyu of delaying the match, but in fact, she has always been eager to continue playing. It was the noise and clamor of the spectators that caused the interruption of the match, which is undoubtedly the most serious case of fan interference in the history of table tennis, far exceeding the severity of the women's singles final at the Olympics. If Liu Guoliang ignores this, his position may not be secure. Shenzhen University should also bear responsibility for their hesitation in resuming the match. I ask you, would you dare to question the referee for such a long time at the Olympics?"
However, the incident did not end there. At the moment Wang Manyu finally defeated Tan Yuanyuan 3-2, helping Shandong Luneng defeat Shenzhen University and win the women's team championship, she turned to the Sun Yingsha fans who continuously made "interference sounds" and raised her fist in anger, expressing her dissatisfaction and determination.
Additionally, as Wang Manyu's teammate, national table tennis player Chen Xingtong's words after the match were also captured by the cameraman. In the glorious moment when Shandong Luneng defeated Shenzhen University to win the women's team championship, Chen Xingtong's words revealed firm support and pride for her teammate. Chen Xingtong slowly approached Wang Manyu and said in a solemn and sincere tone, "Your performance is truly admirable, able to form a stark contrast with the tens of thousands of Sun Yingsha supporters on site, demonstrating extraordinary courage and strength." In this context, "the tens of thousands of Sun Yingsha supporters" is a formal and elegant expression of the massive fan group present, emphasizing the magnitude of the challenges and pressures faced by Wang Manyu.