SCI_ONLINE (19_03_18)

Memorable Months
October: China’s Wang Chuqin and
Sun Yingsha won the respective men’s
singles and women’s singles titles at
the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic
Games; later they combined to secure
mixed team gold. In all three finals it
was Japan who suffered; it was silver
for Tomokazu Harimoto and Miu Hirano.
Meanwhile, Kanak Jha of the United
States was the men’s singles bronze
medallist, in the counterpart women’s
singles event Romania’s Andreea
Dragoman reserved the third step of the
podium. Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju and
Su Pei-Ling emerged the mixed team
bronze medallists.
October: In Paris Fan Zhendong won
the Liebherr 2018 Men’s World Cup; he
beat Germany’s Timo Boll in the final. Lin
Gaoyuan, also from China, finished in
third position.
Mixed team podium at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games (left to right) Miu Hirano, Tomokazu
Harimoto, Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin, Su Pei-Ling, Lin Yun-Ju
Fan Zhendong en route to gold in Paris
Mima Ito gave a stunning performance in Stockholm
November: More success for Fan Zhendong.
In Stockholm he won the men’s
singles title at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF
World Tour Swedish Open beating colleague
Xu Xin in the final. However, the
star of the show was Japan’s Mima Ito.
One after another she beat China’s elite.
In the later rounds she accounted for Liu
Shiwen, Ding Ning and Zhu Yuling to win
the women’s singles title.
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A first ever for Liang Jingkun
November: China’s Liang Jingkun succeeded
in Linz to win his first ever ITTF
World Tour men’s singles title, he beat
Xu Xin in the final. In an all Chinese final,
Chen Meng secured the women’s singles
title at the expense of Wang Manyu.
Qian Tianyi, the junior girls’ singles champion
December: At the World Junior Championships
in Bendigo, Xu Haidong booked
himself a special place in the history
books. In the boys’ team event he didn’t
win a single match but then won the boys’
singles title after having partnered Xiang