10 Aug 2020

Xu Xin and Sun Yingsha entered the spotlight on day three at the “Tokyo 2020 Preparation for China Table Tennis Team - Olympic Simulation Games" in Lingshui City, Hainan Province, partnering to win mixed doubles gold on Monday 10th August.

Down to the final two combinations, the mixed doubles competition reached its defining match as the duo faced opposition from Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu.

Across the opening four games, the younger pair of Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu led the scoreboard twice, in response Xu Xin and Sun Yingsha levelled leaving the match at 2-2. The fifth game proved the turning point: the two pairs locked at 10 points apiece, Xu and Sun were proactive in their approach and were rewarded, snatching the game by the narrowest of margins.

Xu and Sun looked to establish a commanding lead in the early stage of game six and while Wang and Wang managed to reduce the gap to a single point, Xu and Sun refused to let their opponents back into the contest. A 4-2 success for Xu Xin and Sun Yingsha (9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9) was the outcome and a title for their troubles.

Sun Yingsha and Xu Xin pictured following doubles success

There was a further encounter to settle on the day as Lin Gaoyuan and Sun Mingyang took to the table against Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng for the bronze medal position.

The combination of Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, although both right-handed players, possess great balance as a team, and on the singles front are the reigning ITTF World Tour Grand Finals singles champions. Lin Gaoyuan and Sun Mingyang, on the over hand, are a tactile combination with one player preferring close to the table action while the other looks for more freedom standing a little further back, somewhat akin to the approach seen by the deadly Japanese duo of Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito. Different hurdles facing both pairs, which would come out on top?

Fan and Chen held the obvious advantage in the opening two games, completely controlling the situation as they dropped a total of six points! At the start of game three, Lin and Sun changed up their approach and looked as though they had found the answer to their problems with back-to-back game wins drawing them level once again.

In the crucial fifth game, the competition between the two sides became fiercer still: the two pairs tied at 8-8, Fan and Chen added two further points to their tally only for Lin and Sun to replicate their efforts. Locked at 13-13 it was Lin and Sun who seized the opportunity to win the game. Further success in game six sealed their place on the podium (4-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-1, 15-13, 11-9).

Ending on a positive note, third spot for Lin Gaoyuan and Sun Mingyang
Mixed Doubles: Bronze Medal Match

Lin Gaoyuan/Sun Mingyang 4-2 Fan Zhendong/Chen Meng (4-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-1, 15-13, 11-9)

Mixed Doubles: Final

Xu Xin/Sun Yingsha 4-2 Wang Chuqin/Wang Manyu (9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9)

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games xu xin Wang Manyu Sun Yingsha Wang Chuqin