The Chinese athletes engaged in the last 16 of the singles competitions, featuring big-name clashes.

Fan Zhendong faced off against Zhou Yu, showcasing his superiority in a 4-1 win over his compatriot.

“Everyone is familiar with him. He tried his best to disrupt me and interfered with me with scoring methods he was not good at. There was nothing wrong with preparing from the old perspective, but he also had some changes. In the fifth game, and in the sixth, I made some corresponding changes based on this change.” Fan Zhendong

There was also unfortunately an injury withdrawal reported ahead of Hou Yingchao and Ma Long’s head-to-head meeting. It was the latter who had to withdraw citing a sudden problem and long-term prevention on his mind:

“I have been preparing for this game, and I have played Hou Yingchao before. I think that I have done a bit more for the preparation activities. When I look up, when I sprint back and forth, I feel that the shoulder and neck position is particularly uncomfortable. It’s getting better, but it’s still a bit difficult to play. The team doctor also hopes to avoid aggravation, so by retiring from the singles competition, I still hope to be okay in the team competition through hard recovery and treatment.” Ma Long

Ma Long’s withdrawal meant that Hou Yingchao advanced automatically to the Round of 16, where he subsequently lost 3-4 to Yan An, who thus advances to the quarter-finals. Incidentally, all three players mentioned represent the Beijing Team and have known each other since childhood.

Meanwhile, Xu Xin’s opponent at the Round of 16 hurdle was Quan Kaiyuan. Xu played to his strengths, fully controlling the situation at hand across the opening three games, racing to a quick 3-0 lead.

Quan launched a counterattack and threatened a vigorous comeback, winning the next two games to reduce the deficit. World no.2 Xu managed to calm himself and the storm, finishing the tie with a 4-2 win to his name.

“Due to the lack of high-intensity matches for a long time, there has been a decline in concentration and mental power. There has also been a situation where the ball can’t be seen, which leads to errors in judgment. I wanted to actively adjust the state of the match and end the game as soon as possible.” Xu Xin

Men’s Singles: Quarter-Final line-up

Xu Xin v Xu Chenhao

Wang Chuqin v Yan An

Lin Gaoyuan v Liang Jingkun

Fan Zhendong v Yu Ziyang

Over in the women’s singles draw, notable names made their way through to the last eight of the competition.

World no.1 Chen Meng coasted through her contest against Fan Siqi by a 4-2 score-line – Qian Tianyi, Gu Yiting and Wang Manyu successfully followed suit.

There was also an impressive performance by Sun Yingsha, who needed just the five games to battle past Chen Yi.

Wang Yidi was in a hurry to seal her top eight ticket as she powered past Shi Xunyao in straight games, while Chen Xingtong and Liu Fei also proved their worth.

Women’s Singles: Quarter-Finals line-up

Chen Meng v Qian Tianyi

Gu Yuting v Wang Manyu

Wang Yidi v Chen Xingtong

Liu Fei v Sun Yinghsa

Eight players remain in both singles events, the race for glory continues in Lingshui City!