China table tennis star Ma Long wins record 28th World Tour singles title after beating Lin Gaoyuan at China Open
- Win on Sunday takes him past the record he jointly held with Samsonov of Belarus
- Ma simply unstoppable after also clinching his third consecutive world singles title in Budapest last month
Ma Long became the most successful player on the table tennis World Tour after clinching his 28th men’s singles title in the China Open in Shenzhen on Sunday.
Nicknamed “China Dragon” because of his given name Long, the 30-year-old Rio Olympic champion thrashed teammate Lin Gaoyuan 4-0 in the final (12-10, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4) at Baoan Stadium.
With the win he surpassed Belarusian legend Vladimir Samsonov’s 15-year record in the ITTF’s premier tour.
“I have never thought too much about the record, rather I pay more attention to each match,” said the champion. “I feel very happy at winning the tournament and it makes me happier as it’s the first time that chairman Liu Guoliang presented me the award.”
Two years ago at the same tournament, then held in Chengdu, Ma, along with teammates Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin, forfeited their round of 16 matches in support of Liu, after he was forced to step down as head coach of the China team.
The trio were later punished by authorities with a three-month suspension.