Hong Kong – December 13 (LatestNewsX)
South Korea’s Lim Jong‑hoon and Shin Yu‑bin captured the WTT Finals mixed‑doubles title, beating China’s Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sung Yingsha in straight sets. With Sun’s ankle hurt, the reigning world champions struggled to match the Chinese pair’s tempo.
After dropping the first game 11‑9, Wang and Sun narrowly brought the score to 9‑8 by taking four straight points, but the Koreans regrouped and secured an 11‑8 win. The second‑seeded duo then rolled into the third game and finished the match 11‑6, sealing the championship.
Earlier in the day, Sun – who had already been sidelined from the women’s singles semi‑final against compatriot Kuai Man – suffered an ankle injury. Kuai edged out a 12‑10 win in the third game to take a 2‑1 lead before Sun called a medical timeout. Returning briefly, the world No. 1 leveled the score with an 11‑7 victory in the fourth game, reports Xinhua. However, the ankle pain persisted; after losing the fifth game 11‑3, Sun withdrew, advancing Kuai into the final.
“I felt the lack of support in my feet as early as the first game, and the pain worsened in the third,” Sun said. “I hoped to manage it and keep playing. Even though I won the fourth game, I found moving in the fifth particularly difficult, especially on the forehand. I wanted to contest the mixed‑doubles final, and while the result wasn’t ideal, we gave it our all.”
In a separate all‑Chinese clash, second seed Wang Manyu dispatched Chen Yi 11‑9, 11‑3, 12‑10, 11‑8. “Because we’re so familiar with each other, this match was more about fine‑tuning on the court,” she explained after the win. “I stayed patient throughout, adjusting when it mattered, whether ahead or behind.”
After recovering from a mix‑doubles semi‑final loss, Lin Shidong powered through an all‑Chinese quarter‑final, sweeping Xiang Peng 4‑0. He will face Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto in the semi‑final, who overcame France’s Felix Lebrun in a seven‑game thriller. “I played Harimoto before,” Lin noted. “Looking at our head‑to‑head, I’m not the favourite. I want to go into the next match with humility and showcase everything I can. I’ll do my best to learn from him.”
The other men’s semi‑final will pit Wang Chuqin against Sweden’s Truls Moregard. As the season‑ending tournament wraps up on Sunday, the men’s and women’s singles titles remain undecided. (bsk)
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