Jingkun headlines Chinese sweep
When the line-up for the WTT World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender Goa was announced and the legendary Chinese Ma Long, a two-time Olympic champion and arguably the greatest table tennis player ever, headlined it, fans went berserk, rushing to book tickets for the event.
Then just days before the event, it was announced that Long and other top Chinese, including women’s Olympic champion Chen Meng, had pulled out due to Covid-19 and injuries. The Chinese had decided to rest their main team ahead of the Singapore Smash – the top-tier WTT tournament — next week and sent their ‘second string side’ instead.
Only men’s World No. 1 Fan Zhendong was seen as the premier Chinese player and when he shockingly lost in the Rd of 32 to World No. 193 Cho Daeseong of Korea, the Chinese dominance was...