Japan Open 2019 down and dirty summary

This user has no status.
Hello everyone, this is a summary of all the action at the Japan Open 2019.
I already wrote this for my local club's facebook page, but I thought I'd share it here for those who don't want to dig into the details on their own.
Hope you enjoy!

All media courtesy of the ITTF website and Youtube page.


Saturday, June 15:

Upsets galore at the ITTF Japan Open 2019!

Men’s Singles
World #599 Sun Wen went on a rampage by defeating:
#4 Tomokazu Harimoto “The Wonderkid” 4 games to none
#11 Lee Sangsu 4-1
#7 Liang Jingkun 4-2

World #20 Lin Yun-Ju also exceeded all expectations to upset:
#8 Hugo Calderano 4-0
#2 Lin Gaoyuan 4-2

World #59 Kazuhiro Yoshimura ousts teammate Koki Niwa 4-2


Women’s Singles
World #353 Liu Fei, a young defender from China, defeats world #8 Cheng I-Ching in a shocking round of 32 upset.

Gu Yuting (#56) defeats Mima Ito (#7)

Miyu Nagasaki (#39) defeats Zhu Yuling (#4)

Grand Slam Champion Ding Ning (#3) was knocked out by Japanese defender Hitomi Sato (#15) in a thrilling attack-versus-defense match.


Other updates:
World #1 Fan Zhendong gets revenge on Grand Slam Champion Ma Long, defeating him 4-1 in the quarterfinals. This ends Ma Long’s consecutive gold medal run since his return from injury.

The Women’s Doubles finals are tomorrow – young Chinese women Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu will team up the day after Sun beat Wang in the women’s singles quarterfinals. They will face Chen Meng and Liu Shiwen.

Mixed Doubles – Xu Xin and Zhu Yuling take the gold after defeating Japanese duo Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata. Xu Xin will also play in the Men’s Singles Semifinals tomorrow.

Fan Zhendong.jpgSun Wen.jpgHarimoto.jpgHitomi Sato.jpgLin Yun-Ju.jpgMima Ito vs Gu Yuting.jpgMa Long.jpgQiu Dang + Benedikt Duda.jpg
 
This user has no status.
Sunday, June 16:

Xu Xin takes TRIPLE GOLD in the final day of the Japan Open 2019!


After three consecutive semifinal finishes on the world tour and a disappointing early exit from the world championships, the 29-year-old veteran is back on top.

Long live penhold!


Men’s Singles
Men’s Doubles (partnered with Fan Zhendong)
Mixed Doubles (Partnered with Zhu Yuling)

The left-handed penholder had a tough path to victory today:

In the Men’s Singles semifinals, he defeated teammate and world #1 Fan Zhendong in the 7th and final game.
The two then had to pair up just two hours later for the Men’s Doubles final.

Three hours after that, Xu Xin conquered 17-year-old Chinese Taipei player Lin Yun-Ju in the finals of Men’s Singles.

Having won gold in Mixed Doubles yesterday, Xu Xin has become one of only two players in history to have achieved this feat on the ITTF World Tour.
-----------------------------------------
Newly crowned Women’s Singles player Sun Yingsha also had a rollercoaster day.

The 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist defeated compatriot Chen Meng in the semifinals of Women’s Singles.

Three hours later in the Women’s Doubles final, Chen got her revenge. She paired with Liu Shiwen, the recently crowned world champion, to win gold over young players Sun Yingsha and her teammate, Wang Manyu. (Sun had just beaten Wang yesterday in Women’s Singles).

However, Sun Yingsha had the last laugh. Two hours after the loss to Chen and Liu in doubles, Sun played Liu in the finals of Women’s Singles. The grueling match went all the way to 7 games, but it was Sun Yingsha who took the final game 11 points to 3.

This is the second World Tour title for Sun, her first being in the 2017 Japan Open.
-----------------------------------------------
As the Tokyo 2020 Olympics draw near, tensions rise on the World Tour stage. With the recent rule of only 2 singles spots allowed per country, each player is trying to prove themselves worthy for a chance at the Olympics. Who will be the chosen ones?


Stay tuned to the ITTF World Tour:
Korea Open – July 2-7, 2019
Australian Open: July 9-14, 2019
 
Last edited:
Top