On the evening of January 11th, Beijing time, the first WTT event of the year, the Doha Star Challenge, came to a close. In the end, China and Japan emerged as the biggest winners, with each country securing 2 and 3 titles respectively!
Due to the absence of the main national table tennis team and the participation of many top players from foreign associations led by the Japanese team, domestic fans did not have high expectations for this event.
However, the young players of the national table tennis team unleashed their full potential, and although they were unable to sweep all events like the main players, their performance still brought a pleasant surprise to domestic fans.
In particular, the women's singles led by Kuai Man faced off against a group of renowned players such as Hina Hayata and Miu Hirano without any hesitation, bravely forging a path through the competition.
The doubles arena also performed admirably, with only the men's doubles championship being won, but three doubles events advanced to the finals, battling the full-strength Japanese teams to the very end, which was no easy feat.
But there is joy for some and sorrow for others. The men's singles in this competition can be considered the only aspect that has been criticized about the national table tennis team. However, these young players are just starting out, and if they adjust their mentality, they still have a bright future ahead.
Let's review the situation of each event:
In the men's singles, the national table tennis team was led by Xiang Peng with five players participating, but teammate Zhou Qihao withdrew before the match, leaving four players to compete. After several rounds of competition, Xiang Peng and Huang Youzheng stood out and advanced to the round of 16 in the men's singles.
However, in the round of 16, when facing slightly stronger opponents such as Koki Niwa and Dang Qiu, their disadvantages in terms of strength and mentality became evident, and they were ultimately unable to overcome their opponents, failing to advance to the quarterfinals.
This was quite a blow to the fans, as although they did not have high expectations for these young players, they are after all the most promising reserve players of the national table tennis team, and it was unexpected that they could not even reach the quarterfinals.
As for the pre-tournament favorite, Tomokazu Harimoto, he faced a field without the main national table tennis team players and easily won the men's singles championship.
In the women's singles, the national table tennis team provided an unexpected surprise. Led by Tianyi Qian and Kuai Man, six young players faced strong opponents with great momentum, with five of them advancing to the final eight.
During the competition, they defeated a series of top players including Hina Hayata, Miu Hirano, and Yuling Zhu. In the end, Kuai Man swept past Miyuu Kihara of Japan 4-0 in the final, securing the women's singles championship for the national table tennis team.
The women showed no less spirit than the men, and in some cases, even surpassed them.
In the doubles arena, Kuai Man, who was favored before the match, was eliminated early, but other players stepped up in time. Xiang Peng/Xu Yingbin, Zhuo Jia He/Zong Ge Man, and Huang Youzheng/Shi Xunyao advanced to the finals in men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles respectively.
All three doubles finals were showdowns between China and Japan. In the end, Xiang Peng/Xu Yingbin narrowly defeated Tomokazu Harimoto/Koki Niwa to win the men's doubles championship, while Zhuo Jia He/Zong Ge Man lost to Saki Shibutani/Sakura Nagase.
In the mixed doubles, Huang Youzheng/Shi Xunyao faced the Japanese super rookie pair of Koki Niwa/Mima Ito, initially gaining a good momentum, but ultimately succumbed to pressure in the final moments, losing 2-3 and missing out on the mixed doubles championship.
Thus, the WTT Doha Star Challenge officially concluded, with the national table tennis team winning the women's singles and men's doubles championships, as well as the runner-up in mixed doubles and women's doubles. On the other hand, the Japanese team secured the men's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles titles.
Individually, the Zhang Ben family can be considered the biggest winner, with Tomokazu Harimoto winning the singles championship and finishing as the runner-up in men's doubles. Although Zhang Ben Mei failed in the singles, she took home the mixed doubles championship.
The rivalry between China and Japan remains the main theme in the future of table tennis.