Lin Shidong triumphs over Liang Jingkun in his first ITTF World Cup final appearance
Lin Shidong achieved a significant milestone by defeating Liang Jingkun 4-1 in the men's singles semifinals at the International Table Tennis Federation World Cup held in the Macao Special Administrative Region of south China on Saturday. This...
TroibNews 
Lin Shidong achieved a significant milestone by defeating Liang Jingkun 4-1 in the men's singles semifinals at the International Table Tennis Federation World Cup held in the Macao Special Administrative Region of south China on Saturday. This victory marks Lin's first appearance in a final.
Liang, 28, utilized his extensive experience to take the first game. However, Lin responded with faster shots and superior mobility, winning four consecutive games to secure the match.
During the competition, Lin was penalized with two fouls, resulting in a loss of two points. Despite this, he refrained from criticizing the officiating.
"I think the referee made the right call. Maybe I didn't serve high enough. It's the correct call," he remarked.
In the other semifinal, Brazil's Hugo Calderano eliminated home favorite Wang Chuqin in a thrilling seven-game match. After dropping the first game 12-14, Wang rallied to take three straight games with scores of 11-5, 11-6, and 11-7, establishing a 3-1 lead. However, Calderano answered back with victories in the next three games, finishing with 11-7, 11-5, and 12-10 for a comeback win. He will face Lin in the finals on Sunday night.
On the women's side, defending champion and top seed Sun Yingsha advanced to the final after defeating her fellow countrywoman Chen Xingtong 4-1. Sun raced to a 3-0 lead with wins of 11-7, 11-8, and 11-2. Although Chen managed to win the fourth game 12-10, Sun concluded the match decisively with an 11-4 victory in the fifth game, continuing her quest to defend her title.
Sun's opponent in the final will be another Chinese player, Kuai Man, who narrowly triumphed over Mima Ito 4-3 in the other semifinal.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
Liang, 28, utilized his extensive experience to take the first game. However, Lin responded with faster shots and superior mobility, winning four consecutive games to secure the match.
During the competition, Lin was penalized with two fouls, resulting in a loss of two points. Despite this, he refrained from criticizing the officiating.
"I think the referee made the right call. Maybe I didn't serve high enough. It's the correct call," he remarked.
In the other semifinal, Brazil's Hugo Calderano eliminated home favorite Wang Chuqin in a thrilling seven-game match. After dropping the first game 12-14, Wang rallied to take three straight games with scores of 11-5, 11-6, and 11-7, establishing a 3-1 lead. However, Calderano answered back with victories in the next three games, finishing with 11-7, 11-5, and 12-10 for a comeback win. He will face Lin in the finals on Sunday night.
On the women's side, defending champion and top seed Sun Yingsha advanced to the final after defeating her fellow countrywoman Chen Xingtong 4-1. Sun raced to a 3-0 lead with wins of 11-7, 11-8, and 11-2. Although Chen managed to win the fourth game 12-10, Sun concluded the match decisively with an 11-4 victory in the fifth game, continuing her quest to defend her title.
Sun's opponent in the final will be another Chinese player, Kuai Man, who narrowly triumphed over Mima Ito 4-3 in the other semifinal.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
