Site Products

2021 World Table Tennis Championships: Champions Named in Houston

(by Steve Hopkins)

The World Table Tennis Championships has now concluded.  A great event and a true positive for Houston (and the USA) as host.

Fan Zhendong was the clear favorite and he didn’t disappoint.  4-0, 4-0, 4-2, 4-1, 4-1, and 4-0 is a dominant performance for any event.  Fan also topped three teammates (Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan, and Liang Jingkun) and Finalist Truls Moregard along the way.  Some great shots in the Final, but Fan controlled the match from the start (as the 4-0 score indicates).

The surprise Men’s Singles Finalist was Sweden’s Truls Moregard.  Unlike, Fan, Truls fought his way through the draw winning his opening match 4-0 (but with  12-10, and 14-12), 4-3, 4-3, 4-3, 4-2, 4-3, and the 0-4 score in the Final.  Truls has had mixed success in major events in the past, flashing brilliant and tricky shot-making with massive power on both side, but often playing inconsistently.  He has won a Swedish championship, topping a long list of great Swedish pros, but as his World No. 76 ranking shows, he hasn’t broken through.  Well, he hadn’t broken through – if he wasn’t on the World’s radar a week ago, his performance this week is certain to be noticed.

The Women’s Singles title went to Wang Manyu (World No. 4) over Sun Yingsha (World No. 2).  Manyu topped Chen Meng in the previous round, so she defeated World No.1 and No. 2 in succession on her way to the title.   Manyu and Yingsha teamed up to win Women’s Doubles too, a 3-0 win over Mima Ito and Hina Hayata.

Men’s Doubles was part of a One-Two Punch of Swedish Surprises this year.  Korea’s Jang Woojin and Lim Jonghoon upset Japan’s Togami/Uda team 3-1 to reach the Final, but Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson and Mattias Falck took all the headlines by upsetting China’s Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong and then following that up the next day with an upset of China’s Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun.  Falck and Karlsson’s formidable pairing (with Karlsson’s shotmaking abilities and Falck’s pip forehand creating uncomfortable pressure with pace and spin variations) proved too much for the Korean team in the Final.  Falck and Karlsson log five upsets in a row to bring a World Championships Doubles Title home to Sweden.

American fans were disappointed that the pair of Lin Gaoyuan and Lily Zhang fell short of the Finals, but the US/China team scored a Bronze Medal and helped accentuate the 50th Anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy.  In the end, it was China who won the Mixed Doubles Event.  Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha defeated the Japanese pair (Harimoto/Hayata) 3-0.

Visit ButterflyOnline.com for the latest table tennis news and scores.

Latest News

Playing Kids

July 8, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Let’s face it; they’re probably faster than you. They might have a coach working with… Read More

#2 A Skill That Is Likely To Score – Backhand Down The Line

July 7, 2025
[[Feature] [Special Feature] American Stars! Jha’s Strengths #2 A Skill That Is Likely To Score – Backhand Down… Read More

United States Smash: Tight Scores and a Big Upset in Early Action

July 7, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Action is underway in the main round of the United States Smash, the… Read More

MLTT Featured Team: Bay Area Blasters

July 6, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) The Bay Area Blasters plan to blast through the upcoming Major League Table… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Calgary United Sports Table Tennis Association

July 6, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Established in 2002, Calgary United Sports Table Tennis Association (CUSTTA) is Alberta’s largest Table Tennis… Read More

Butterfly Players Shine at the 2025 US National Table Tennis Championships

July 6, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The 2025 U.S. National Table Tennis Championships is one of the premiere annual… Read More

US Nationals Recap

July 6, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) The US National Table Tennis Championships is in the books.  One of America’s premiere events… Read More

United States Smash: Qualifiers are Finished and the Main Draw Begins Today

July 6, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) Americans made waves in the qualifying rounds of the United States Smash, the… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.