The WTT Sweden Grand Slam concluded! The Chinese national table tennis team secured 3 titles and 3 runner-up finishes, producing two winners and one biggest loser.

On August 25th Beijing time, the WTT Sweden Grand Slam wrapped up, highlighted by Moregard’s 4-3 victory over Lin Shidong in the men’s singles final. This brought the tournament to a flawless end. The Chinese team earned 3 titles and 3 second places in five events, producing two winners and three biggest losers. Let’s review them together!

The Chinese team competed for five event titles in this tournament. They showed absolute dominance in women’s singles, mixed doubles, and women’s doubles. Although the men’s singles and men’s doubles teams reached the finals, they both finished as runners-up. Ultimately, we achieved 3 championships and 3 runner-up positions, making us the best-performing team. However, there are significant issues in men’s singles. Currently, there is no player with commanding dominance. Wang Chuqin is the most consistent but still cannot guarantee victories against foreign opponents, having recently lost to Harimoto. Lin Shidong’s potential is limited, with clear weaknesses. He has lost repeatedly to Hugo Calderano, Harimoto, and Moregard, making it difficult for him to take on major responsibilities. Our men’s doubles also lack stable partnerships and have failed to win titles in several recent tournaments.

Two winners emerged. The first is Sun Yingsha, the world number one in women’s singles, who demonstrated strong dominance by defeating Wang Manyu 4-2 in the final to retain her top ranking. The second winner is Moregard, who, in front of his home crowd, clinched the title with a 4-3 win over Lin Shidong. It was truly a dream come true and a historic achievement, making all his efforts worthwhile!

The biggest loser is Lin Shidong. Since reaching the world number one spot, he has stagnated and fallen into a title drought. His performance this season has been poor, with consecutive losses to Hugo Calderano and Harimoto. At the Sweden event, although Harimoto and Hugo were eliminated, Lin Shidong surprisingly lost to Moregard. While he can reach semifinals or even finals, he struggles against top-tier opponents. His consistency and adaptability are lacking, and he is dominated by opponents in terms of presence and momentum. His offense and defense are predictable and conservative. If he does not change, he is likely to lose his number one ranking sooner or later. Hopefully, Lin Shidong will recognize his shortcomings and overcome them!

Written by / Sports Tales