Last night (August 4), in the men's singles final of the Paris Olympic table tennis, Fan Zhendong defeated Sweden's Trus· Moregaard 4:1 to win his first Olympic men's singles gold medal and become a Grand Slam player who won the World Cup, World Table Tennis Championships and Olympic singles championships.
On August 4, Fan Zhendong was in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Yichen
In the first five matches of this Olympic Games, Fan Zhendong fought all the way, after a thrilling 4:3 victory over Japan's Tomokazu Haramoto in the quarter-finals, and a soft victory over the host country's Felix · Lebrun in the semi-finals. Moregaard is the biggest "dark horse" of this tournament, defeating Wang Chuqin 4:2 in the round of 32. In 2021, Moregaard lost to Fan Zhendong in the final of the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston and won the silver medal in men's singles.
On August 4, Fan Zhendong was in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Xu
In the first game of the finals, Fan Zhendong was a little slow to heat up, and Moregaard attacked sharply and won 11:7. In the second game, after Moregaard led 9:8, Fan Zhendong recovered 1 point, and then scored two points in a row to equalize the score. In the third game, the two sides entered the stalemate many times, and when Moregaard chased from 3:7 to 6:7, the coach of the Chinese team Wang Hao asked for a timeout, and Fan Zhendong finally won the game 11:9. In the fourth game, Moregaard was not to be outdone, scoring 4 points in a row when he was 4:9 behind, and then Fan Zhendong took the initiative to attack and scored two points in a row, leading 3:1 into the fifth game. At this time, Moregaard began to make frequent mistakes, and the score came to 10:3, and Fan Zhendong held 7 match points. Moregaard gave it a go and scored five points in a row. The Sweden fans at the scene gradually increased, and Fan Zhendong withstood the pressure and won the game with a crisp backhand straight line!
On August 4, Fan Zhendong (above) celebrates the victory with coach Wang Hao. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Dongzhen
This gold medal means a lot to Fan Zhendong. In his post-match interview, he mentioned that this champion defended the honor and supremacy of the Chinese table tennis team, and he felt very excited. "I think it's a unique experience, I've really imagined the feeling of being full of people many times, and this time I not only felt it, but I also became a part of the atmosphere in the game, or I was one of the main characters, and I was very memorable."
On August 4, the champion Chinese player Fan Zhendong at the award ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Dongzhen
Moregaard's tenacity also impressed Fan Zhendong. He said that the opponent's style of play often prevents him from finding his rhythm. "When I came up, what I wanted to play was limited by him, and it was very scary to face opponents with this style. Maybe a certain ball is not handled well, and the result is completely different. Fan Zhendong said, "Through these, we can also see our own maturity and progress, first of all, I am confident that I can handle such a situation, and I also have the ability to do it and adjust in time." ”
Champion Fan Zhendong of China (center), runner-up Moregaard of Sweden (left), and third runner-up Felix · Lebrun of France at the medal ceremony on August 4. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Dongzhen
On August 6, Fan Zhendong will continue to play in the men's team competition for the Chinese team. He said that he would adjust his emotions and continue to contribute to the team competition.
In the bronze medal match played earlier, Lebrun defeated Brazil's Hugo · Calderano 4-0.
(Reporter Ji Jiadong, Yue Ranran)