On January 11, 2025, the Doha Star Table Tennis Tournament will conclude with its final day of competition. The Chinese national team has already secured the men's doubles championship and continues to compete for titles in women's singles and mixed doubles, facing off against Japanese opponents, including a decisive mixed doubles match against Koki Niwa/Mima Ito.
Following the conclusion of the previous main event day, the top four singles players were determined. In women's singles, China still has two contenders: Kuai Man and Chen Yi. However, Zhou Qihao withdrew from the tournament due to injury, and other players such as Huang Youzheng, Xiang Peng, Xu Yingbin, Chen Yuanyu, Qian Tianyi, Zong Geman, He Zhuojia, and Shi Xunyao have been eliminated. Among them, the men's singles team has been completely defeated, with their best result being the round of 16. On the Japanese side, Tomokazu Harimoto, Daiki Yoshimoto, Miyuu Kihara, and Miyu Nagasaki have advanced.
The two doubles events have concluded, with the Chinese team achieving one victory and one defeat. In men's doubles, Xiang Peng/Xu Yingbin won 3-2 against Tomokazu Harimoto/Koki Niwa, while in women's doubles, He Zhuojia/Zong Geman lost 0-3 to Saki Shibata/Sakura Yokoi. The men's doubles championship by Xiang Peng/Xu Yingbin holds special significance as it is the first ranking tournament championship for the Chinese team this year. Although their individual performances were average, the experience of losing is certainly worth summarizing, and it is believed that they can do better in the future.
Despite the absence of key players, the Chinese team has performed commendably against many skilled international competitors. Xiang Peng/Xu Yingbin took the lead in winning the championship, and Huang Youzheng/Shi Xunyao also had a chance. Many fans focused on the young player Chen Yi, who exceeded expectations by defeating Hina Hayata and then Qian Tianyi before the tournament.
The schedule for January 11 has been announced, with Chen Yi facing Miyuu Kihara (Japan) at 4 pm. Kihara previously defeated Wang Yidi and has long been a mainstay of the Japanese women's team, easily defeating Shin Yu-bin in the past. Although Chen Yi is in high spirits after consecutive victories over Hina Hayata and Qian Tianyi, she still needs to prepare more. At 4:40 pm, Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan) will face Aruna (Nigeria), and Harimoto is not confident, having lost to Aruna last time.
Next, at 5:20 pm, Kuai Man will face Miyu Nagasaki (Japan). Currently, Kuai Man appears to have a clear advantage and should have no problem as long as she performs normally. At 6 pm, Grøte (Denmark) will face Daiki Yoshimoto (Japan), where the difference in strength is not significant, and the decisive factor will be their on-site performance. At 6:30 pm, Huang Youzheng/Shi Xunyao will face Koki Niwa/Mima Ito (Japan), and we look forward to the two young Chinese players bringing pleasant surprises.
It is worth noting that the official schedule for the final two matches has been given, with the women's singles final at 9 pm and the men's singles final at 10 pm. Following the men's doubles championship, the Chinese team will continue to challenge for the women's singles and mixed doubles titles, facing four Japanese players. Let us wait and see for the new good news to come.