WTT Swedish Grand Slam: Eight spots secured in the men’s singles round of 16, Liang Jingkun suffers an upset, Lin Shidong dominates with a 3-0 sweep

On August 20th Beijing time, the men’s singles round of 32 at the WTT Swedish Grand Slam wrapped up eight matches, producing eight spots in the last 16. In the most watched encounters, China’s Liang Jingkun was stunned 0-3 and sent home, while Lin Shidong was unstoppable, sweeping Omar Assar 3-0 to advance. The German squad stood out, as three of their players made it into the top half and secured at least one quarterfinal berth in advance!

For this Swedish Grand Slam, six Chinese players entered the men’s singles, but with Wang Chuqin absent, the pressure to win the title increased and the team faced major challenges. The campaign started with a blow: both Lin Gaoyuan and Xiang Peng were eliminated in the first round, costing the team two key players right away, which was a big hit to morale!

Then, as the round of 32 began, Liang Jingkun suffered a huge upset. Facing Belgium’s world No. 103, Laurens Devos, Liang was in poor form and had no answers for his opponent, resulting in a lopsided match. He lost 5-11, 10-12, 6-11, dropping three straight games for a 0-3 defeat and missing out on the last 16—a shocking result. For someone ranked in the world’s top five, it was a major disappointment and raises questions about his future prospects. With Liang out, only Lin Shidong remains for China in the top half, making the men’s singles title race even more uncertain!

Lin Shidong delivered a crushing victory against Omar Assar, dominating from the start by taking the first game 11-5. He kept up the momentum in the second game, winning 11-6, and sealed the match in the third with a decisive 11-8, completing a 3-0 sweep in commanding fashion!

With this, all eight spots in the top half of the round of 16 are filled, with Lin Shidong the only Chinese player left standing, while the German team is on the rise with three players—Walther, Qiu Dang, and Ovtcharov—making it through. Qiu Dang and Ovtcharov will face off in an all-German clash in the round of 16, ensuring one will reach the quarterfinals. Lin Shidong will face Germany’s Walther, the Belgian dark horse who upset Liang Jingkun will take on French veteran Simon, and Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto meets Darko Jorgic!

Written by/Sports Fiction