World Table Tennis Finals: Wang Chuqin wins third straight title, beating Tomokazu Harimoto
The world No 1 has endured a tough time since a shock loss at the Olympics – that he avenged in Fukuoka – but ended the season in fine style
Wang Chuqin returned to winning ways on Sunday with a 4-0 victory over rival Tomokazu Harimoto in the season-ending World Table Tennis Finals in Fukuoka, Japan.
The world No 1 has endured a tough few months since his shock defeat to Swede Truls Moregardh in the round of 32 in the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics, including a semi-final defeat in the WTT Championships in Macau in September and a round-of-16 exit in the Frankfurt leg in November.
Wang won 11-2, 11-8, 11-7 and 11-5 on Sunday, putting Harimoto away in less than 40 minutes to mark his third consecutive WTT Finals title, all of which were against his Japanese counterpart.
“Harimoto is a long-time rival. We’ve played against each other since we were young, so we know each other very well and have both won and lost,” Wang said.
“I didn’t expect a 4-0 win. I was well prepared for a tough match. Twenty-twenty-four has been an extraordinary year with its ups and downs, but I’m grateful to end it with my third WTT Finals title.”
During his run of poor form, Wang, who became the world No 1 in March, was the subject of much discussion on Chinese social media, with Chinese table tennis fans having a reputation for being one of the most ardent groups of supporters.
