Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked male table tennis star, won silver on Sunday in the men’s singles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Grand Smash in Singapore.
Despite a straight-sets loss to world No. 1 Wang Chuqin of China, Lin earned a place on the podium and finished with a
career-best performance in a Grand Smash event.
Courtesy of the WTT official website
Currently ranked No. 8 in the world, Lin lost 3-11, 8-11, 8-11, 9-11 to Wang in the final at the Infinity Arena in The Kallang, marking his 11th defeat in 14 head-to-head matchups with the Chinese player.
Wang established a dominant lead in the first two games before Lin edged ahead 3-1 at one point during the third game, but Wang responded with a devastating 9-1 run that put Lin back on the defensive.
Lin’s best opening came in the fourth game when he jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but Wang stormed back to reach match point at 10-8. Although Lin saved one match point to make it 10-9, he was unable to overcome the world No. 1.
Along with his second-place trophy, the 24-year-old Taiwanese took home US$50,000 in prize money and secured 1,400 ranking points.
With the victory, Wang claimed his fifth WTT Grand Smash title, gaining 2,000 points and a cash prize of US$100,000.
Earlier in the day, Lin had clinched a place in the final of the Grand Smash men’s singles for the first time, after defeating world No. 5 Truls Moregardh of Sweden 4-2 in the semi-finals.
The Singapore Smash featured a field of 64 players in the men’s singles event. Lin’s world ranking is expected to rise to No. 7 when the WTT updates its list this week. The current world No. 7, Sora Matsushima of Japan, was eliminated in the round-of-16, earning only 150 points.
As of Monday morning, Matsushima was ranked No. 7 with 3,305 points, followed by Lin with 2,875.
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
RSS