Las vegas: China's world champion Wang Chuqin edged out France's Felix Lebrun in full sets while world top-ranked Chinese Lin Shidong fell to Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto in the men's singles semifinals of the WTT US Smash in Las Vegas on Saturday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Wang, ranked world No. 2, utilized his experience and determination at crucial moments to overcome the sixth-seeded Frenchman with scores of 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 7-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9. Wang expressed the intensity of the match, stating, "This is the closest match that I have ever played against Felix." The match against Lebrun was the first in a year, highlighting the Frenchman's improvement and ability to challenge top players.
Meanwhile, Tomokazu Harimoto, seen as a significant contender against Chinese players, managed to defeat Lin Shidong. Harimoto's performance saw a strong start, a mid-game stumble, and a resilient comeback, resulting in a win with scores of 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-6. Lin's struggles in major tournaments continue, having previously lost to Hugo Calderano in the World Cup and to teammate Liang Jinkun in the Doha World Championships.
In the women's singles, Chinese player Chen Yi advanced to her first Smash final after a victory over teammate Kuai Man. The unseeded 20-year-old from Zhejiang province had already defeated China's world No. 1 Sun Yingsha and Japan's Hina Hayata. Chen triumphed over Kuai with scores of 6-11, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-1, 11-9, setting up a final against Zhu Yuling.
Kuai Man, despite her singles loss, claimed the women's doubles gold with partner Wang Yidi, defeating teammates Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu in a 46-minute match. Zhu Yuling, a former World Cup winner who now represents Macao, China, defeated Japan's Mima Ito in the semifinals with scores of 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8. Zhu's return to the sport follows her recovery from cancer and her academic pursuits, including a professorship at Tianjin University.
In men's doubles action, South Korea's An Jae-hyun and Lim Jong-hoon secured the title by defeating France's Alexis and Felix Lebrun with a 3-1 victory.