Double glory for China at ITTF World Cup

MACAO - Chinese table tennis stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin capped a dramatic week at the ITTF World Cup with landmark victories at Galaxy Arena in Macao, China on Sunday.

Sun became the first women's player to win three consecutive World Cup singles titles, while Wang battled through a seven-game thriller to claim his first men's singles World Cup crown.

The 25-year-old top seed Wang faced a fierce challenge from 18-year-old Japanese player and world No 8 Sora Matsushima in the final. In a match that tested both his physical and mental limits, Wang secured a dramatic 4-3 victory (9-11, 18-16, 11-8, 11-13, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8).

The match was a rollercoaster from the start. After dropping the first game, Wang won a grueling second game 18-16 to level the score. However, Matsushima's aggressive play eventually pushed Wang to the brink, giving the Japanese teenager a 3-2 lead. With his back against the wall, Wang found another gear, dominating the sixth game 11-4 before holding his nerve in the deciding seventh game to win 11-8 and claim his maiden World Cup title.

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"First of all, I want to thank myself for never giving up, the fans here supporting me, and I especially want to thank the Chinese national table tennis team," Wang said.

"Every match I played this week left a deep impression on me because it was just too difficult. Every single day felt like it could be my last day here. I am incredibly fortunate that I finally did it; I survived until the very end," he added.

In the women's final, world No. 1 Sun defeated compatriot Wang Manyu 4-1 (11-9, 11-8, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7) to secure her third consecutive World Cup singles title.

"As always, it was a very tight match against Manyu," Sun said. "The first three games all came down to crucial points. I felt I didn't handle the later games perfectly and the momentum could have shifted, but both of us played at our absolute best today."

"From the knockout stage onward, every opponent was incredibly strong. In the round of 16, I faced Kuai Man, my opponent in last year's final. Then against Hana Goda, I was moments away from losing," she added. "I've gained a lot over these past few days through all the ups and downs."

With her historic three-peat secured, the world No. 1 is already looking ahead to the upcoming World Table Tennis Championships. "I will go back, rest well, summarize my performances here, and I will give it my absolute all in the upcoming matches."

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