15 Nov 2016

The 2016 Chinese Super League progressed into its fourth round of women’s competition with some unexpected results. Shandong Luneng failed to capitalise on their home-court advantage and was defeated for the second time this season. Meanwhile, Ding Ning, the reigning Olympic champion lost in her match against Jilin’s Wang Manyu.

by Henry Chen

The women’s competition of the 2016 Chinese Super League had their fourth round battles scheduled on Thursday 27th October.

Top teams, Bayi and Shandong Qilu, maintained their outstanding performance this season, recording their fourth straight victory.

Shandong Qilu upset the home crowd of Ordos after they came to win. The host had their hopes up in the opening match after their player Zhang Qiang won over Chen Xingtong in 3-1. However, momentum did not stay at their side. Qilu’s Wu Yang snatched the control in the second match. That eventually led to Qilu’s victory.

Meanwhile, Bayi played with an advantage as they had the support from the crowd. They lost the opening battle but succeeded in the subsequent matches. Their young player Hu Limei took the spotlight, winning two points for the team.

Following their defeats in the prior round, both Beijing and Anxin recovered this time.

Beijing had a challenging fight against the hosts, Jilin. In fact, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Singles gold medalist Ding Ning was overwhelmed by Wang Manyu in the fourth match (8-11,7-11, 11-9, 10-12).

But Beijing had the confidence in the decider. Sheng Dandan sealed the last match with a victory against Yuan Xuejiao (11-8, 8-11, 7-5).

In the last round, Liu Shiwen failed to deliver the expected results after she was defeated in the fourth match against Mu Zi. That led to the defeat of Anxin. In the latest round of battles, Liu Shiwen came prepared. She contributed two winning points against the hosts Jiang Yue and Che Xiaoxi of Shanxi.

However, it was Liu Gaoyang who sealed the victory for Anxin. She swept her opponent Wang Shu in 2-0 (11-6, 11-6).

Lastly, Shenzhen completed the list of victorious teams in the fourth round convincingly. They didn’t have the cheer from the crowd but they defeated the hosts Shandong Luneng in a close encounter.

Luneng’s team leader Zhu Yuling actually delivered positive results in the battle. She recorded two victories including a 3-2 victory against Chen Meng (8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 7-5). However, her teammates failed to supplement enough points.

Meanwhile, the opposing team took advantage of it and successfully recorded their second win this season. Shenzhen is now tied with Luneng with two wins and two losses.

Chinese Super League: Latest Super League Results

Chinese Super League: Latest Super League Team Positions

Chinese Super League: Latest Super League Averages

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