Ma going long 

He may be taking the circuitous route to victory, but Ma Long is getting his wins in all the same. 

After a blazing start to the year with wins at the Qatar and China Opens, ‘The Dragon’ and reigning world champion has quelled dry spell rumours by defeating his opponents so far in Busan, albeit while making his fans sweat. 

After an easy 4-0 opening round rout of Japan’s Takuya Jin in Busan, Ma struggled to close the door on hometown hero Lim Jonghoon. Despite his initial 2-0 lead, Ma faltered, allowing Lim to even the score at 3-3 before prevailing 14-12 in the final game to eke out a 3-2 victory, hardly a firebreathing performance on the part of the Dragon.

It didn’t get any easier against Sweden’s surging Kristian Karlsson, who took the first two games, forcing Ma to dig deep into his reservoir of mental and physical endurance for the 4-2 victory:

“It just goes to show that more of our opponents are starting to analyse the players from the Chinese team. So for us to be behind – we are used to being in front for most matches – it is good that we are put through different situations. It is a learning experience.” Ma Long

Ma may be 30 years old and considered almost a veteran in the sport, but he – more than anyone – is still prepared to keep learning and keep growing. That, after all, is what is aiding his longevity.

Next up in the semi-final, he faced the Korean fans’ favourite Jeoung Youngsik, a player who eliminated no less than Fan Zhendong in Saturday’s quarter-final. It was not Ma at his best, it was Ma at his most professional; he prevailed in five games.

“All matches are equally hard and it’s about how you come through the tough moments that keeps you in the game.” Ma Long

Find out if Ma can finish the job in today’s final against compatriot and current world #1 Xu Xin. The match will be live from 17.00 GMT+9 on itTV.

Wan days for Fan

What’s going on with Fan Zhendong?

The Chinese maestro’s 15-month stint as the #1 player in the world came to an end this week when he was overtaken by surging teammate Xu Xin, which dropped the 22-year-old affectionately nicknamed “Little Fatty” to #3 in the rankings.

Faced with Korea’s Jeoung Youngsik in the men’s quarter-finals in Busan this weekend, Fan dropped the first game but looked on track to secure the victory with solid second and third games. That first round would come back to haunt China’s top player, though, as Jeoung rallied to a 13-11 win in the fourth and never looked back, taking the next two in quick succession to secure a 4-2 victory despite tough resistance from Fan.

“Actually I did have some chances in the match. I was leading 9-4 in the 4th game, but eventually lost, even though I was battling so hard to win it. Today the biggest problem came from my backhand, which is an obvious weakness, especially when we both played on our backhand.” Fan Zhendong

For his part, Jeoung was quick to acknowledge that the raucous home crowd in Busan may have played a role in the contest. 

“I have never seen any other match where the crowd had such enormous reactions. The cheers definitely gave me a lot of energy and it was an important contribution to the victory, so I want to thank them a lot for that.” Jeoung Youngsik

But the question remains: What’s going on with Fan? After a superb 2018, where he was victorious at the Hungarian, Qatar and Swedish Opens, Fan has yet to appear in a final, let alone vanquish his rivals in one, on the World Tour this season. Rather, his best results have been semis appearances in Sapporo and Budapest.

Follow live updates from Busan and watch the action on itTV!

Excellence was the order of the day.

Men’s Singles

…………Xu Xin, the no.2 seed, beat compatriot and qualifier Wang Chuqin (8-11, 20-18, 11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5), followed by success against Ma Long, the no.4 seed (7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8) to claim the top prize.

…………In the counterpart semi-final, Ma Long had ousted the host nation’s Jeoung Youngsik, the no.13 seed (11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-9) and winner in 2015 when the tournament was staged in Incheon.

…………Xu Xin extended his status as the most successful player in the history of the tournament since first organised in 2001 in Seoul. He has now won four times; no other player has won more than once. Always in Incheon, previously he won in 2013, 2014 and 2016; as today in 2013 and 2016 he beat Ma Long in the final.

…………A second consecutive success for Xu Xin, having prevailed last month in Japan; overall has won 16 ITTF World Tour men’s singles titles in 27 final appearances.

Women’s Singles

…………After accounting for Wang Manyu, the no.7 seed (11-3, 8-11, 11-3, 12-14, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6), Chen Meng, the no.2 seed, accounted for Ding Ning, the top seed (11-5, 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9) to secure the title.

…………In the adjacent semi-final, Ding Ning overcame Sun Yingsha, the no.16 seed (8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8).

…………It was one step higher for Chen Meng and her first such success in Korea Republic; last year she had been beaten in the final by colleague Zhu Yuling.

…………Notably it was for Chen Meng her third ITTF World Tour women’s singles title of the year, previously she had won in Hungary and China. Overall it was her 12th such title in 15 final appearances.

Xuperman slays a dragon

Ma Long’s preferred weapon has always been a confounding forehand rhythm, but the kryptonite wasn’t strong enough for Xu Xin on this day in Busan. The Cloudwalker succumbed only during the first game, then unleashed his own winning formula, raining a barrage of attacking strokes to overcome the “Dragon” Ma with aplomb. Result: the title in five games (7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8) for Xuperman, whose golden summer continues.

To tackle the best of your generation and emerge victorious is what every champion strives for, and Xu sees it no differently. Having come out on the losing side of many battles with the revered Ma Long over the years, for Xu honour is in the name, not necessarily the game.

“Winning the title is not the reason I am feeling happy. I am happy because I beat Ma Long.” Xu Xin

Chen Meng, with a bang

“In my mind I want to go all the way now,” Ding Ning said after defeating Sun Yingsha for the right to face against Chen Meng in the women’s singles final. In her first World Tour final since the 2018 Australian, the Queen of Hearts came in on a high, having staged a brilliant comeback from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Sun Yingsha in the women’s semis, and had every reason to believe the momentum would carry over.

But given a second chance to win the title she lost here last year, Chen was not in the mood to be messed with. Having cut her teeth in a seven game thriller against Wang Manyu to earn the right to play in her third World Tour final of the year, Chen seized the opportunity and ran with it. 

The 25-year-old World no.1 ruthlessly contained Ding with her signature backhand to forehand corner slice to jump out to a 3-0 lead, but the Queen was determined to have her say too, and in the fourth game she finally got a word in edgewise. Though eventually overcome 4-1 (11-5, 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9), Ding’s resurgence remains one of the main storylines of this competition.

Chen, who began 2019 by winning the Hungarian Open, has now added a second victory, further gilding her World no.1 status.

They are ranked first in the world for a reason. Chinese stars Xu Xin and Chen Meng entered the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour SHINHAN Korea Open as the most in-form players in international table tennis. They now leave Busan with their positions at the top of the tree in the men’s and women’s game firmly consolidated after picking up gold in their respective singles and doubles events.

XU-PERMAN SLAYS DRAGON

Xu defeated Ma Long (CHN) over five games (7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8) in a match that showcased some of the most spectacular shots and rallies across the six-day event. This was champagne table tennis at its finest, the range of strokes and lightning-speed reactions underlining just why the iconic duo has been the bedrock of Team China over the years.

For Xu, his impressive comeback victory ended a run of four consecutive defeats to ‘The Dragon.’ He had lost a total of 20 matches and won just eight against the reigning world champion heading into this contest, his excitement at full-time understandably high:

“Winning the title is not the reason I am feeling so happy. It’s because I beat Ma Long,” was all he needed to say to convey his raw emotions during his on-court interview.

Xu, who rose to the world no.1 position last week, holds the record for Korea Open titles (four) and has now won at back-to-back events, having scooped gold at the Japan Open in June. He is very much the man to beat at next week’s Australian Open in Geelong.

CHEN THE CHAMPION

There can be no doubt that Chen Meng is a natural-born winner. The women’s world no.1 overpowered no.3 Ding Ning (CHN) from the outset of Sunday’s final, charging to a 3-0 lead in no time at all.

Reigning Olympic champion Ding pulled back a game and put up a serious fight in the fifth. However, she was unable to complete what would have been an incredible comeback, as Chen saw out the 4-1 victory (11-5, 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9) to celebrate her third ITTF World Tour women’s singles title of 2019 following wins in Hungary and China.

In terms of mental strength, the 25-year-old is up there with the greats. Her record in women’s singles finals on the ITTF World Tour now sits at 12 wins from 15 appearances: a simply outstanding feat.

Despite a disappointing end to her campaign in Busan, the Korea Open marked something of a revival for 29-year-old Ding, who reached her first women’s singles title on the ITTF World Tour since last August’s Bulgarian Open.

TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME

Not for the first time, Xu Xin and Chen Meng were also dominant across the doubles competitions, which reached their climax on Saturday.

Xu sealed gold in the men’s doubles alongside Fan Zhendong after an emphatic 3-0 victory (11-9, 11-7, 11-6) over Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu (KOR).

The 29-year-old also partnered Liu Shiwen to silver in the mixed doubles, their incredible unbeaten record finally coming to an end in their 23rd match since linking up last November. Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem (HKG) celebrated gold instead after their 3-1 triumph (11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 13-11).

Meanwhile, Chen tasted success in the women’s doubles alongside Wang Manyu, who defeated Choi Hyojoo and Yang Haeun (KOR) in consecutive, but hard-fought games (12-10, 15-13, 11-6).

JEOUNG YOUNGSIK INSPIRES HOSTS

It was always going to be difficult for the hosts to replicate the ecstatic scenes of last year’s Korea Open, when Jang Woojin (KOR) celebrated an historic triple crown.

This year, Jang was forced to withdraw from the tournament on Friday due to a toe injury sustained against compatriot Jeoung Youngsik. As chance would have it, this symbolised something of a passing of the baton to Jeoung, now entrusted with the hopes of his nation. He shouldered the responsibility brilliantly.

The 27-year-old caused arguably the biggest upset of the tournament in Saturday’s quarter-final, defeating world no.3 Fan Zhendong in six scintillating games (11-5, 9-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-9, 12-10).

He also ruffled the feathers of the legendary Ma Long in Sunday’s semi-final, drawing the scores level at 1-1 before going on to lose the next three games, not without a fight (7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 6-11, 9-11).

Jeoung’s brave performances never failed to convert the Sajik Indoor Gymnasium into a cauldron of noise. The electric atmosphere conjured up by Korea’s passionate fans bodes very well for when Busan hosts next year’s World Table Tennis Championships at the BEXCO.

THE SUPPORTING CAST

The other beaten semi-finalist in the men’s singles was Wang Chuqin (CHN). The 19-year-old, ranked 71^st in the world, impressed throughout the event, defeating the far higher positioned Lin Yun-Ju (TPE), Marcos Freitas (POR) and Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) before eventually losing to Xu Xin over six hard-fought games (11-8, 18-20, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 5-11).

The eventual champion was quick to praise the teenage talent, who surely has a bright future in the sport:

“Wang Chuqin is very young and has been playing very well. I believe that he will continue to grow and leave a positive mark in the Chinese team.”

As is fast becoming the custom, Sun Yingsha (CHN) reached the latter stages of a major event again after staging a most eye-catching comeback victory over Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN) in the quarter-finals (10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 13-11).

As chance had it, the 19-year-old was on the receiving end of Ding Ning’s fightback in Sunday’s semi-final, leading 3-1 before losing 4-3 (11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 8-11).

HEADING DOWN UNDER!

Now at the halfway stage of the 2019 ITTF World Tour, the next stop will take the globe’s best players to Geelong for the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum Australian Open. Do not miss the action!

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