As the first rays of morning light gently awaken the skies over Beijing on January 15th, the first round of the men's singles competition at the 2025 WTT Regular Challenge Muscat Station has quietly come to an end. This time, the national table tennis team sent out 4 players, with 3 successfully advancing and 1 unfortunately eliminated, overall showing a commendable performance.
Xu Yingbin failed to continue his good form, losing 0-3 to German veteran Ochamov, with scores of 6-11, 11-13, and 9-11 in the three sets. The last two sets were lost on crucial points, with very close scores, which can be described as a narrow defeat. In the past two stations, Xu Yingbin's performance in the men's singles event was not satisfactory, and he was eliminated early, indicating that his singles state does indeed need improvement and requires proper adjustment in subsequent training and competitions.
Huang Youzheng brought a thrilling comeback victory for the national table tennis team. After losing the first set 8-11, he won three consecutive sets with scores of 11-3, 11-6, and 11-9, successfully defeating Manav Vikash Thakkar. Judging from the overall strength, Huang Youzheng is above his opponent, but this victory was not easy. He frankly admitted that he actually hadn't played at his best, and the rhythm of the game wasn't completely under his control. Ultimately, he was able to win mainly due to his hard power, taking advantage in the stand-off confrontation.
Chen Yuanyu also performed steadily, defeating Apolonia 3-1, with four-set scores of 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, and 11-6. Throughout the match, Chen Yuanyu played relatively steadily, and in the latter two sets, his offense basically came through, clearly dominating in terms of strength, advancing smoothly to the next round.
Xiang Peng's victory was somewhat difficult, as he defeated French player Jules Rolland 3-0, but the process was very close. The scores of the three sets were 11-9, 13-11, and 11-8, from which it can be seen that the confrontation between the two sides was extremely fierce. Jules Rolland possesses strong skills, with outstanding offense and proactive attacks, playing exceptionally well. Xiang Peng didn't have much of an advantage, but fortunately, he successfully seized the opportunity at a critical moment, ultimately advancing without major issues.
On the Japanese side, world champion Yoshikawa Mabuchi was unexpectedly eliminated, suffering a crushing 0-3 defeat to Indian player Manav Vikash Thakkar, with set scores of 6-11, 11-13, and 9-11. Yoshikawa made many mistakes in this match, failing to gain an advantage in the stand-off rallies and not matching the rhythm of Manav Vikash Thakkar, playing somewhat awkwardly. On the other hand, Manav Vikash Thakkar relied on his excellent speed and attacking power to successfully eliminate Yoshikawa.
Tomokazu Harimoto continued his good form from last week, sweeping Navis Shams 3-0, with set scores of 11-5, 11-9, and 16-14. In the first set, Harimoto won steadily, but from the second set onwards, he faced challenges, continuously losing points in receiving serves, even directly being served out. However, he successfully turned the tide when trailing, and the third set was fought to high scores. Harimoto performed well in adapting, making timely adjustments in receiving serves and achieving results. His strength is clearly superior to his opponent, but he is not very familiar with the opponent's spin, yet his overall state remains outstanding.
Daiki Yoshizuka defeated Gnanasekaran 3-1, with four-set scores of 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, and 11-8. After losing the first set, he successfully staged a comeback. Recently, Daiki Yoshizuka's performance has indeed been eye-catching, and he is in excellent form. Koki Niwa defeated Picard 3-1, with four-set scores of 11-6, 11-5, 3-11, and 11-7. He was somewhat distracted in the third set, but he could recover his state in time in the fourth set, advancing smoothly.
Among the top eight seeds, there were consecutive upsets. Huang Yancheng defeated the No. 3 seed Aruna 3-0, with set scores of 11-5, 11-8, and 12-10. In this match, Aruna played poorly, with no quality in his offense, playing somewhat lazily, and completely out of form. Bolete defeated the No. 8 seed Australian player Lu Wei 3-2, with five-set scores of 11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 9-11, and 11-6. Both sides fought fiercely for five sets, and although Lu Wei has been steadily improving in the past year or so, Bolete played aggressively in this match, with some fighting spirit, and fast speed, ultimately successfully eliminating Lu Wei.
In other matches, Guo Guanhong defeated Peihuan 3-2, Simon Gauzy defeated Robles 3-2, and Wong Chun Ting defeated Harmeet Desai 3-0, with various players showcasing their skills and characteristics, providing audiences with exciting matches on the court.
After the first round of the men's singles, the performances of the various players were truly spectacular. The national table tennis players played steadily, with the 3 successful advancers demonstrating remarkable skills and good competitive states, laying a solid foundation for the national table tennis team in subsequent competitions. The unexpected elimination of Japan's Yoshikawa Mabuchi and the upsets of other seeded players have filled this competition with more suspense and uncertainty.