Ma Long of China hits a return during the men's singles match against Maharu Yoshimura of Japan at World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Asian Continental Stage in Doha, Qatar, Jan. 10, 2023. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)
After Olympic champion Ma Long secured a men's singles quota, China has ensured its full participation in the World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Finals.
DOHA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- China has ensured its full participation in the World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Finals later this year as Olympic gold medalist Ma Long won his position game in the WTTC Asia Continental Stage here on Wednesday.
After losing to Maharu Yoshimura in full sets on Tuesday, the 34-year-old Ma withstood a comeback from another Japanese paddler Shunsuke Togami to emerge victorious 4-2.
"My training in recent days was not quite systematic. I had some unforced errors in these games, which left the door open for my opponents. Even with a 3-0 lead today, I felt that I was not in a stable mindset," admitted Ma.
"From the standpoint of technique, I did better in rallies today than yesterday," he added.
Ma Long (L) of China shakes hands with Maharu Yoshimura of Japan during their men's singles match at World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Asian Continental Stage in Doha, Qatar, Jan. 10, 2023. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)
Ma pocketed the first three sets with the same score of 11-6, only to see his rival pull within a striking distance by winning 11-3 and 11-6. Ma, who achieved a Grand Slam winning feat in his glorious career, held his nerves to nail an 11-9 victory in the sixth set.
"It was not a tight schedule in this tournament, so physically I was fine, but I lost a little bit patience when the game didn't go as I had expected," Ma noted.
On Tuesday, Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, Liang Jingkun and Xiang Peng won their second round group matches to secure the WTTC Finals men's singles berths for China, while Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong triumphed in the women's singles category.
China also secured full quota in the men's, women's and mixed doubles events of the worlds on Monday.
The 2023 WTTC Finals will take place in Durban, South Africa from May 20 to 28. ■
