China continues to dominate at table tennis Grand Slam

Chinese table tennis player Wang Chuqin. Photo by AFP

In the men's singles final on Monday, Wang defeated Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto in straight sets, 11-3, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8, in just 36 minutes. Harimoto briefly led 3-2 in the first set, but Wang responded with nine consecutive points to close out the set. The third set saw Harimoto ahead 10-8 before Wang secured four straight points to win 12-10.

Wang's left-handed playing style continues to be a challenge for Harimoto, who has lost 12 of their 14 encounters. Harimoto caused an upset earlier by defeating world number one Lin Shidong 4-3 in the semifinals.

The women's singles final was more dramatic, with Chen Yi initially led Zhu Yuling 2-0 before Zhu rallied back to win 4-2. Representing the Macau team but originally from China, Zhu displayed the resilience of a former world number one, defeating the underdog Chen.

With these victories, Chinese players continue to dominate the U.S. Smash, a table tennis Grand Slam event. Since its inception in 2022, no non-Chinese player has won a singles title at this prestigious tournament.

In the doubles event, however, there was a shift. For the first time, China did not claim all the trophies. South Korean duo Lim Jong-hoon and An Jae-hyung triumphed over France's LeBrun brothers, Alexis and Felix, to win the men's doubles championship.

The U.S. Smash, part of the WTT Tour, is one of the sport's four major Grand Slam events, alongside tournaments in China, Singapore and Europe. This year's tournament, held from July 3 to 13, featured a knockout format with 64 players in singles.