The first ever Top 4 Seed battle at WTT Macao took place with two scintillating matches between four Chinese athletes. Notably, there will be follow-up encounters on Day Two between the two winners and between the two losers from today.

Xu Xin 3-2 (4-5, 3-5, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3) Hugo Calderano

Well well well! The Thrill from Brazil has surely continued showing off his amazing form as he took the Cloudwalker all the way to a decider here in the final match of day one in Macao!

Hugo Calderano took a two games lead to shock the top seed Xu Xin, which seemed to wake up the Chinese from his slumber and have him superbly change the flow of the game. For Calderano, it was another valiant effort that is clearly making him a very tough competitor for the Asian athletes!

Ma Long 3-1 (3-5, 5-2, 5-2, 5-2) Lin Gaoyuan

The Dragon is still in a roaring mood after his Bank of Communications 2020 ITTF Finals win over the weekend, and it meant there was no chance for Lin Gaoyuan to recover once Ma Long took the lead in this high-paced top 4 seed match!

The added competitive incentive for the players was visible as the reigning Olympic and World champion defeated compatriot Lin despite losing the first game. The change in Ma’s style after the second game saw him dominate the service, and then win three games in a row.

Wang Manyu 3-2 (5-3, 1-5, 2-5, 5-3, 5-3) Sun Yingsha

It is a day of for firsts after all as Wang Manyu recovered from being 1-2 down against the Chinese youngster Sun Yingsha – and she did it in style!

Wang took the early lead but saw Sun hunt it down and over turn the score in a super-speed two games. And yet, it was Wang who found her rhythm shortly afterwards to take the match 3-2 in which was the first nail-biting thriller in this Top 4 seed battle!

Chen Meng 3-1 (5-2, 5-3, 4-5, 5-1) Ding Ning

The world no.1 opened the first ever Top 4 seed battle against the Queen of Hearts here in Macao and the match was a certain blinder.

Playing the best of five in a 5-point game format, with the addition of sudden death at 4-point, Chen Meng started by winning the two first games and establishing a strong pattern in her service. Despite the best efforts from Ding Ning, it was a swift win for the top see which gives her an added advantage going into day two.

What’s coming next?