There was plenty of speculation whether China would be able to – once again – sweep all five titles at the China Open stop of the ITTF World Tour. It didn’t happen, but there were familiar faces on the podium in the Singles events.
China’s 2016 Rio Olympic Champion Long Ma won his seventh China Open title by defeating countryman Gaoyuan Lin in the final, 4-0. Another former champ, the 2012 China Open Women’s Singles winner, Meng Chen, won her second title with a 4-1 triumph over defending champ Manyu Wang.
There was one more all-China final, as Yuting Gu and Shiwen Liu took the women’s Doubles crown over Wang and Yuling Zhu, 3-0.
But the other Doubles events can be counted as surprises. In men’s, Germany’s Timo Boll and Patrick Franziska defeated Ma and Chuqin Wang in the final, 3-0; it’s the second time in three years that someone other than a Chinese team has won. Interestingly, Boll and Ma teamed together to win in 2013, but faced each other this time.
In Mixed Doubles, Chinese Taipei’s Yun-Ju Lin and I -Ching Cheng whipped past Hong Kong’s Chun Ting Wong and Hoi Kem Doo. It’s the first-ever win for a Chinese Taipei entry in this tournament, which was founded back in 1988! Summaries:
ITTF World Tour/China Open
Shenzhen (CHN) ~ 30 May-2 June 2019
(Full results here)
Men/Singles: 1. Long Ma (CHN); 2. Gaoyuan Lin (CHN); 3. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) and Xin Xu (CHN), 4-2. Semis: Ma d. Harimoto, 4-1; Lin d. Xu, 4-2. Final: Ma d. Lin, 4-0.
Men/Doubles: 1. Timo Boll/Patrick Franziska (GER); 2. Long Ma/Chuqin Wang (CHN); 3. Youngsik Jeoung/Sangsu Lee (KOR) and Woojin Jang/Jonghoon Lim (KOR). Semis: Boll/Franziska d. Jang/Lim, 3-2; Ma/Wang d. Jeoung/Lee, 3-1. Final: Boll/Franziska d. Ma/Wang, 3-0.
Women/Singles: 1. Meng Chen (CHN); 2. Manyu Wang (CHN); 3. Mima Ito (JPN) and Yuling Zhu (CHN). Semis: Wang d. Ito, 4-1; Chen d. Zhu, 4-1. Final: Chen d. Wang, 4-1.
Women/Doubles: 1. Yuting Gu/Shiwen Liu (CHN); 2. Manyu Wang/Yuling Zhu (CHN); 3. Honami Nakamori/Satsuki Odo (JPN) and Hyo Sim Cha/Nam Hae Kim (PRK). Semis: Gu/Liu d. Nakamori/Odo, 3-2; Wang/Zhu d. Cha/Kim, 3-0. Final: Gu/Liu d. Wang/Zhu, 3-0.
Mixed Doubles: 1. Yun-Ju Lin/I-Ching Cheng (TPE); 2. Chun Ting Wong/Hoi Kem Doo (HKG); 3. Yu Song Ham/Hyo Sim Cha (PRK) and Koki Niwa/Mima Ito (JPN). Semis: Lin/Cheng d. Niwa/Ito, 3-2; Wong/Doo d. Ham/Cha, 3-2. Final: Lin/Cheng d. Wong/Doo, 3-1.
