Second shock defeat for China’s Sun, Wang sparks Asian Games fears among fans
World No 1s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha crash out of National Table Tennis Championships in semi-finals, weeks after losing in US
China table tennis stars Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha slipped to a second mixed doubles defeat this month, sparking concern among fans ahead of the Asian Games.
The pair lost 3-2 to Yuan Licen and Wang Yidi in the semi-finals of the National Table Tennis Championships in Changsha, just weeks after finishing as runners-up to South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin at the WTT US Grand Smash.
Neither Yuan nor Wang Yidi will be making the trip to Japan in September, and their victory had fans taking to social media to urge Wang Chuqin and Sun, both world No 1s in their respective singles categories, to fix their partnership.
Affectionately known as “Sha-Tou”, the pair have teamed up less frequently in the new Olympic cycle. Since winning gold at the Paris Olympics, they had played only six international tournaments before this event, claiming two mixed doubles titles in three individual competitions.
“The sturdiest ship has capsized,” one netizen wrote. “I think this is the most brutal yet charming part of competitive sports. The national championships have never ranked players by their fame.”
Another fan called on officials to “stop letting these two play mixed doubles”, and suggested Sun should partner Yuan instead.