Top 4 Women's Singles in Star Games Emerge! Three National Table Tennis Players Out, Dark Horse Emerges, Qian Tianyi Gets a Haircut
On January 11th, Beijing time, the 2025 WTT Doha Star Challenge continued with the third day of the main event. The women's singles competition at this station can be said to be the most intense.
Although the national table tennis team did not send their main players, Qian Tianyi, Shi Xunyao, He Zhuojia, and Kuai Man are all quite capable. Additionally, Japan sent their absolute main players, but several of their main players were eliminated early, which was quite unexpected as they were originally considered strong contenders for the championship.
In the quarter-finals, there were two internal battles among the national table tennis players and one match between China and Japan. He Zhuojia faced Nagasaki Miu, with very different playing styles. He Zhuojia is more adept at various changes and excels in defensive play with her spinny rubber, while Nagasaki Miu relies on speed and also has decent endurance. In this tournament, she reached new heights, becoming Zhu Yuling's nemesis a few years ago and adapting well to spinny rubber play.
The match began with Nagasaki Miu launching fierce attacks, playing aggressively and proactively with high-quality shots. He Zhuojia managed to score points by holding her ground, reaching a mid-game tie at 5-5. Nagasaki Miu's speed was impressive, leading to a tense battle that ended 10-10. He Zhuojia seized the opportunity to win 12-10.
In the second set, He Zhuojia started strongly with a 4-0 lead, fully engaged and able to increase her speed and take the initiative. She later extended her lead to 8-3. Nagasaki Miu responded with long serves to attack with speed, but this set remained firmly under He Zhuojia's control, winning another game 11-7.
In the third set, Nagasaki Miu's offensive prowess was evident as she scored consecutively to lead 3-0. Her tactics were clear, especially her successful serve-and-attack strategy, leading 8-2. Although He Zhuojia narrowed the gap somewhat, she still lost the set 7-11.
The fourth set was a close fight from the start, with the score tied at 4-4. Nagasaki Miu continuously broke through He Zhuojia's forehand, and the match remained intense. When He Zhuojia led 8-6, she became somewhat conservative and indecisive, unfortunately missing an opportunity and losing 9-11.
In the decisive fifth set, He Zhuojia's rhythm was disorganized from the start, with consecutive errors and passivity, always trailing in the score at 3-5. Nagasaki Miu's attacks were relentless and stable, even when ahead, she continued to attack fearlessly. Ultimately, He Zhuojia lost 6-11, leading to a 2-0 advantage for Nagasaki Miu and a heartbreaking reversal out of the tournament.
In the two internal battles among the national table tennis players, Chen Yi defeated Qian Tianyi 3-0 with scores of 11-9, 11-9, and 12-10. Although she won all three sets, each was closely contested, with only a two-point difference in the scores. Chen Yi played exceptionally well overall, capable of both attacking and defending, with good initiative in rallies and often taking the lead.
Kuai Man defeated Shi Xunyao 3-2 with scores of 12-10, 8-11, 11-4, 5-11, and 11-6. Kuai Man was consistently ahead, alternating wins with Shi Xunyao. Kuai Man has indeed made progress in singles play and currently needs to improve her stability.
Miharu Kihara swept Shin Yubin 3-0 with scores of 11-9, 11-4, and 11-6. Shin Yubin's losses are not only against the national table tennis team but also against Japan, where she often suffers defeats. This time, both Miharu Kihara and Nagasaki Miu suddenly burst into form, displaying excellent states.
Thus, the top four in the women's singles have emerged. Of the five national table tennis participants, three were eliminated and two advanced, Chen Yi and Kuai Man. The other two semi-final spots were taken by Japanese players, with Chen Yi emerging as the dark horse in the women's singles, successively eliminating top seeds Hina Hayata and Qian Tianyi, who were both strong favorites for the title.
The next two semi-finals will be contests between China and Japan, with Chen Yi facing Miharu Kihara and Kuai Man facing Nagasaki Miu. In this tournament, many top-seeded women's singles players were eliminated, leaving only Nagasaki Miu as the 15th seed among the top four, with the other three being non-seeds.