World No 1 Wang Chuqin advances as Sun Yingsha falls at 2024 WTT Finals

KITAKYUSHU, Japan -- The 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals continued with the men's and women's singles quarterfinalists and doubles semifinalists determined here on Thursday.

In the men's singles round of 16, Lin Shidong delivered a solid performance to defeat Alexis Lebrun of France 3-1 in an engaging offensive battle.

"Winning 3-1 was not easy," said Lin after the match. "I prepared thoroughly for this match, especially given Alexis Lebrun's recent excellent form and achievements. I played with a mindset to give it my all today."

Top seed Wang Chuqin faced Patrick Franziska of Germany in another highlight match. The two last met in the final of the WTT Saudi Arabia Grand Smash, where Wang claimed a 4-2 victory. Maintaining control throughout, Wang triumphed 3-1 to secure the final quarterfinal berth. In his next match, Wang will face Swedish Olympic silver medalist Truls Moregard, who earlier overcame his compatriot Anton Kallberg in a grueling five-set encounter.

"After the Olympics, my mental and physical states weren't at their best," Wang admitted post-match. "I'm trying to regain my form step by step through each tournament and move forward."

In the women's singles, reigning champion Sun Yingsha faced Chen Xingtong in an all-Chinese clash. Sun started strong, taking the first game, but Chen mounted a remarkable comeback to win the next two. Trailing in the fourth, Chen leveled the score at 8-9 before Sun held her nerve to force a deciding game. The final set saw intense exchanges until 5-5, where Chen capitalized on her tactical variations to clinch an 11-8 victory, winning 3-2 overall.

"We know each other very well as teammates," Chen said afterward. "What I did well today was keeping a steadier mindset." Addressing her upcoming women's doubles match, Chen added, "There's pressure because we're the only pair left, but focusing on the process rather than the pressure will help deliver better results." She will next face Miu Hirano of Japan in the quarterfinals.

World No. 2 Wang Manyu overcame Shin Yubin of South Korea 3-1 in what was their first career meeting. Wang will next play teammate Qian Tianyi in the quarterfinals.

"It was my first time facing her," Wang noted. "Her performance was excellent in terms of shot quality and accuracy, which created many challenges for me."

The WTT Finals will run from November 20 to 24.