On January 4, Beijing time, the 2023-2024 WTT Men's Finals continued in Doha. In the men's singles 1/4 finals, the world's No. 1 Fan Zhendong defeated Nigeria's Aruna 3-0 and advanced to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Fan Zhendong will compete with the winner between Ma Long and Lin Gaoyuan for a ticket to the final. Since winning the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, Fan Zhendong's position as the world's No. 1 in men's singles has been attacked by strong players from all walks of life. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he lost to Wang Chuqin in the men's singles gold medal match and was the runner-up. In the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup, Fan Zhendong lost to Tomokazu Zhangmoto again. Therefore, many fans believe that Fan Zhendong can no longer lose in this WTT Finals.
The quarterfinals occupy 5 seats, who will win the men's singles championship?
In this competition, a total of 16 players participated in the men's singles event, and these players represent the highest level of men's table tennis in the world today. For the Chinese team, the men's singles "troika" Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin and Ma Long joined forces, and world champions Lin Gaoyuan, Liang Jingkun and teenager Lin Shidong also qualified. German star Ocharov, Tomokazu Zhang of the Japanese team, and Lin Yunru of the Chinese Taipei team are the main opponents of the national table tennis men's team.
From the perspective of grouping, Fan Zhendong is in the men's singles 1/4 zone, and Ma Long and Lin Gaoyuan are in the 2/4 zone, so Fan Zhendong and Ma Long are expected to meet in the semifinals. Liang Jingkun and Lin Shidong are located in District 3/4, and Wang Chuqin is located in District 4/4. In the first round of the game, Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan, Liang Jingkun, etc. all defeated their respective opponents and advanced to the quarterfinals. In the 1/4 finals, Ma Long and Lin Gaoyuan played in the same room, Wang Chuqin played against Zhang Benzhihe, and Liang Jingkun and Qiu Dang competed for a place in the top four.
Fan Zhendong, the favourite, will face Nigeria's Aruna in the quarter-finals, who defeated Brazil's Hugo in the first round. Fan Zhendong and Aruna have played each other several times in international competitions, and Fan Zhendong has won all of them.
However, judging from the recent games, Fan Zhendong's overall state has fluctuated significantly. In the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup, Fan Zhendong lost to Tomokazu Zhang in a 3-game match. In the men's singles 1/8 finals, Fan Zhendong and Dakko fought hard for 5 games and finally won 3-2.
Fan Zhendong said in an interview that he hopes that the audience can return the game to the athletes, especially in the key stages of the game, and fans and spectators should try their best to reduce unnecessary interference to the athletes. Entering the 1/4 finals, Fan Zhendong ushered in the challenge of Aruna, the "first brother" of African table tennis. In the first game, Fan Zhendong quickly entered the state, using the advantage of the first three boards to suppress the opponent, Aruna made more mistakes, and Fan Zhendong won 11-6. In the second game, Fan Zhendong was still strong on the offensive end, scoring many forehand rushes and winning again 11-9. In the third game, Aruna increased his fighting intensity, and Fan Zhendong's defensive counterattack was very good, winning the game 11-4.
(Shopkeeper Luo)