Sun Yingsha makes table tennis history with World Cup three-peat, Wang wins men’s title

Sun Yingsha becomes just second player to win three consecutive singles titles with victory in Macau, while Wang Chuqin claims his first

China’s Sun Yingsha added another accolade to her already glittering table tennis résumé on Sunday, becoming the first woman to win a third consecutive World Cup title.

Sun, who beat teammate Wang Manyu 4-1 at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, joined compatriot Fan Zhendong as the only players in the sport’s history to manage the feat. Fan claimed the men’s singles title three times, starting in 2018.

On a day when China’s continued dominance of the game was again tested, Wang Chuqin finally took the men’s crown that had so far eluded him, with a 4-3 win over Japan’s Sora Matsushima.

Sun’s margin of victory only tells part of the story, with two of the best players battling it out in an intense and absorbing affair.

Wang Manyu pushed her rival hard in every game and refused to make anything straightforward. The third game alone was a battle of the highest order, stretching to 13-11 before Sun took the game and Wang’s response in the fourth, taking it 11-8 to stay in the contest, was a reminder of just how fine the margins were throughout.

In the end, it was Sun’s experience, composure and sheer class that proved the difference as she triumphed 11-9, 11-8, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7.

Wang Chuqin, meanwhile, needed all his skills to fight off Matsushima in a blistering men’s final that could have gone either way.

The world No 1 battled back from 3-2 down after an encounter that included the game of the tournament, with Wang taking the second 18-16 to draw level at 1-1.

His Japanese opponent though was not to be outdone, and after going 2-1 behind took the fourth 13-11. He went ahead after winning the fifth 11-8, before Wang stepped up a gear and rattled off the next two games 11-4, 11-8 to claim the title.