Tournaments

28 Apr 2019

Stay tuned to the live blog for the latest updates from the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

Men’s Singles Podium
(left to right) Mattias Falck, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, An Jaehyun (Photo: Rémy Gros)
Women’s Doubles Podium
(left to right) Hina Hayata, Mima Ito, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Meng, Zhu Yuling, Honoka Hashimoto, Hitomi Sato (Photo: Rémy Gros)
Women’s Doubles final reaction

Wang Manyu reacts to her and Sun Yingsha’s title winning performance:

“This is our second big international tournament and when we were down, we just tried our best because our opponents are very strong and competitive. We just told ourselves not to give but stick with the match.” Wang Manyu

SUN YINGSHA AND WANG MANYU ARE CHAMPIONS! (8-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-3, 12-10, 11-8)

That’s it! In a tricky situation at 0-2 down on games at one stage in the match but it is Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu who take home the women’s doubles trophy 4-2. Japan’s Hina Hayata and Mima Ito save two championship points against them but the second seeds from China seal game six 11-8 to win gold on their World Championships debut.

Three in a row: Hayata/Ito 2-3 Sun/Wang

Well, well, well. From two games down the Chinese pair of Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu now lead 3-2 following a 12-10 win in game five. Hina Hayata and Mima Ito will feel disappointed with how the latter stages of the game unfolded but they must put game five behind them now and respond.

Time-out!

Hina Hayata and Mima Ito call time-out at 9-9 after the officials call a let service disputed by the Japanese pair.

Back to square one: Hayata/Ito 2-2 Sun/Wang

Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu take game four by a convincing 11-3 margin to level the game scores at 2-2. Is the tide beginning to turn?

Bouncing back: Hayata/Ito 2-1 Sun/Wang

The time-out works a treat for Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, who take the next two points to gain three game points. Hina Hayata and Mima Ito save one but they can’t prevent the Chinese pair from winning 11-8.

Time-out!

The Chinese duo take a time-out at 8-7 after dropping back-to-back points to their Japanese opponents.

Press Conference: Ma Long 4-1 Mattias Falck

Men’s singles gold and silver medallists Ma Long and Mattias Falck speak to the press about their thrilling battle:

“As a member of the Chinese team you have to play under pressure because of the records set by our predecessors for us. So for me I want to continue with the tradition and that is why I tried my best in every tournament. I think the pressure was more in 2017 than now because I was ranked 11th in this competition and that did not give me more pressure like 2017. I have to put in my best in this final because this might be the last chance for me to win the title. I also think Mattias has improved a lot since last year because we played against each other at Halmstad in 2018. He is a rare player with his style of play, he is strong tactically and mentally and I think he will be our rival in future. Fortunately for both of us we were prepared for the match by two former champions and that made it tough for us.” Ma Long

“I think this is my best performance in my career and it has been a fantastic tournament for me. I am happy with my performance in this tournament. I just need one more year to be higher than this again. Ma Long is a clever player, who changes a lot in the match and he has no weaknesses whatsoever. But I will have to improve my tactics and be more aggressive next time I meet him.” Mattias Falck

Defeat but Mattias Falck leaves Budapest with head held high (Photo: Rémy Gros)
Positive signs for Japanese pair: Hayata/Ito 2-0 Sun/Wang

The signs are looking very positive for Hina Hayata and Mima Ito as they take game 11-3 to sail into a two games advantage – can Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu pull themselves back into this one?

Top seeds off to solid start: Hayata/Ito 1-0 Sun/Wang

Game one goes to the Japanese pair as Hina Hayata and Mima Ito fight back from a 3-5 deficit to take the opener 11-8.

Match underway

The players are on the table, the women’s doubles final is now underway.

Japan vs China

Next up we have another exciting contest on the way as Japanese top seeds Hina Hayata and Mima Ito take on Chinese second seeds Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu for the women’s doubles title.

The champion speaks

Ma Long takes a moment to thank his fans following his third World Championships success:

“I think this is a special celebration for me and I just want to enjoy this moment for now. I want to thank my Chinese fans and also the foreign fans for their support. I am not only interested in winning this title but I also want to gain your respect.” Ma Long

MA LONG IS WORLD CHAMPION!!! (11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5)

He has done it! Ma Long wins the men’s singles title for the third time in a row, Mattias Falck puts up a brave fight but it is the Dragon, the Captain, the Dictator that claims game five 11-5.

Time-out!

Ma Long now takes his time-out leading 9-5. Will he get the job done?

Narrow margins: Ma Long 3-1 Mattias Falck

The time-out doesn’t produce the desired effect for Mattias Falck as Ma Long picks up three consecutive points to take the game 11-9. How will the Swede respond?

Time-out!

Mattias Falck opts for his time-out, he leads 9-8 in a crucial fourth game.

Swede responds: Ma Long 2-1 Mattias Falck

That’s more like it from Mattias Falck! The Swede storms into a convincing 9-2 lead, Ma Long manages to bridge the gap slightly but game three belongs to Falck 11-7. This is the first time Falck has taken a game off Ma in his career!

Ma Long unfazed: Ma Long 2-0 Mattias Falck

Mattias Falck begins to grow into the match, fighting back from 5-2 down to establish a 5-6 lead but Ma Long isn’t fazed winning the second game 11-7. The Dragon holds a two games advantage in this match.

Early lead for defending champion: Ma Long 1-0 Mattias Falck

Ma Long strikes first with an 11-5 win in game one. The defending champion is dealing with his opponent’s short pimples well, keeping the ball low and restricting Mattias Falck to just a handful of points.

Warm-up concludes

Here we go, the warm-up session is over. Now it’s time for the main event!

Players on court

Ma Long and Mattias Falck have entered the arena for the men’s singles final – get ready for a thrilling battle!

Closing day in Budapest

It’s time for the final day of play in Budapest. Get ready for what promises to be an exciting finale – for detailed information take a look at the fixture schedule below:

Preview Final Day

Take a closer look at the two fixtures coming up on the final day with our quick preview article:

Preview Final Day: Crunch time in Budapest, destiny awaits

Manika Batra x TATA Trickshot

Watch Manika Batra take on the TATA Trickshot Challenge:

2019 World Table Tennis Championships Budapest 2019
Loading

No results found.

Photo Gallery

Day 8 - 2019 World Table Tennis Championships

Match Highlights