(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTFWorld)
Wang Chuqin won his second event in as many weeks, as he dominated a strong field at the WTT Star Contender Lanzhou. Chuqin was tested in the Quarterfinals by Zhou Qihao – pulling away at the end for a 3-2 victory. Chuqin then dominated Lin Gaoyuan in the Semifinals and never trailed in his 4-2 win over Ma Long in the Finals. In the other half of the draw, Ma Long faced Felix Lebrun in the Semifinals and needed all 5 games to pull out the 3-2 win. USA’s Jinbao Ma logged three wins in the tournament and forced Felix Lebrun into a long, five-game match (Lebrun won 3-2).
The results of the last 10 days for Chuqin are especially positive, as he has now accumulated enough points for a narrow lead in the World Rankings. Wang Chuqin is No. 1 with 7120 points, and Fan Zhendong drops to No. 2 with 7105 points. The World’s Top two will see each other again in two weeks in Frankfurt at the WTT Champions event. Whoever advances furthest will leave Germany at the top of the World Rankings.
The other winners in Lanzhou were Sun Yingsha in Women’s Singles, the Lebrun Brothers in Men’s Doubles, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu in Women’s Doubles, and Lin Shidong and Kuai Man in Mixed Doubles.
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