China’s Fan Zhendong and Wang Manyu dominate table tennis world championships – ‘I don’t think there are any losers tonight’
- World No 1 Fan defeats Moregard of Sweden to win first career world championships singles gold – ‘I was really feeling nervous’
- World No 4 Wang beats Chinese teammates and world’s top two Sun and Chen to win women’s singles – ‘we inspire each other to give our best’
Chinese world No 1 Fan Zhendong swept Sweden’s Truls Moregard in the men’s singles final to clinch a stunning fifth world championships title in Houston.
It was the 24-year-old Guangdong native’s first singles gold medal having dispatched 77th-ranked Moregard 11-5, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships on Tuesday morning (Hong Kong time).
Moregard, whose coach Stellan Bengtsson became the first Swede to win a men’s singles title at the 1971 championships, showed glimpses of class but Fan’s offensive power was far too strong.
“I’m really happy,” Fan told World Table Tennis. “I was really feeling nervous before the match because I wanted to win for my team and country. With this latest win, I’ll be looking ahead with more confidence as I continue to develop.”