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Mike Chan

Table tennis world champion Sun Yingsha suffered a shock defeat on Thursday, going down 3-1 to compatriot Chen Yi in the third round of the World Table Tennis United Smash in Las Vegas.
The triple Olympic gold medallist had only lost one of her 33 singles matches this year before coming up against Chen, who beat the world No 1 11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9.
Sun’s only other defeat was in February at the Asia Cup final, when she was swept by compatriot Wang Manyu. Wang was also dumped out of the Vegas competition on Thursday, going down 3-1 to Macau’s Zhu Yuling.
Ranked No 17 in the world, Chen said she had not expected to beat a player she had faced just once before on the international stage. At that junior tournament in 2015, Sun eased to a 3-0 win.

“I did play well in the match and I am thrilled now,” she said. “I didn’t do anything special technically or tactically.
“She’s the world No 1 after all, so I was just trying to fight against her the best I could. I focused on every point and may have handled it slightly better at those crucial points.
“I told myself to calm down and not overthink [during the match] … I’ll do the best I can in the subsequent matches and strive to leave no regrets in my second Grand Smash.”
Born in Zhejiang in 2004, it was the first time Chen had beaten a world No 1 player in any international competition. The 20-year-old will face Hina Hayata in the quarter-finals after the world No 9 from Japan edged out compatriot Miwa Harimoto in a thrilling 3-2 win.
World No 2 Wang was also eliminated at the Orleans Arena, losing to ex-teammate Zhu for the first time in six years.
The 26-year-old threw away leads in the opening two games before eventually going down 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5.
Zhu will face South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin for a semi-final spot after the 21-year-old from Suwon came back from two games down to oust Satsuki Odo of Japan.
“The result was truly unexpected and I didn’t see this coming,” Zhu, a former world No 1, said. “I didn’t get into the zone fast enough after the match started.
“Before the match, I told myself that no matter how passive my start was, I should not give up. I trailed in the first and second games, but because I didn’t give up, I turned the momentum around in the middle of the first two games.”
Despite going out in the singles event, Sun and Wang reached the women’s doubles semi-final after seeing off Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem and her South Korean partner Shin 3-1.
The No 2 seeds will face Kim Na-yeong and Ryu Hanna of South Korea next, while top seeds Wang Yidi and Kuai Man face off with Chinese Taipei duo Cheng I-ching and Li Yu-jhun.
In the men’s singles, world No 2 Wang Chuqin dispatched South Korean Lee Sang Su 3-0 to join compatriot and world No 1 Lin Shidong in the last eight.
Hongkonger Wong, meanwhile, is into the semi-finals of the men’s doubles with compatriot Baldwin Chan, where they will face South Korean pair An Jae-hyun and Lim Jong-hoon


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ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)

Macau’s Zhu comes out on top in Vegas, as Sun, Wang suffer shock defeats

Zhu Yuling got the better of Wang Manyu in the third round in Las Vegas. Photo: World Table Tennis

Sun Yingsha lost a singles match for just the second time all year. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong table tennis star stunned by ‘scary’ Las Vegas food prices

Doo Hoi-kem posted a video on Weibo about the cost of eating out in Las Vegas. Photo: Weibo

Doo Hoi-kem (left) and Shin Yubin of South Korea. Photo: Handout

Wang Chuqin gives China fans 2028 LA Olympics boost, as men suffer shock losses at US event

Wang Chuqin has committed his immediate future to making the China squad for the 2028 LA Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Baldwin Chan (front) still has an opportunity to make it into the second round, but doubles partner Wong Chun-ting is already out. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

China

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World Champion Sun Yingsha loses for just the second time this year, while Zhu Yuling brushes aside world No 2 Wang Manyu


World Champion Sun Yingsha loses for just the second time this year, while Zhu Yuling brushes aside world No 2 Wang Manyu.


Wang Manyu

Sun Yingsha

Macau’s Zhu comes out on top in Vegas, as Sun, Wang suffer shock defeats

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}World Champion Sun Yingsha loses for just the second time this year, while Zhu Yuling brushes aside world No 2 Wang Manyu

World Champion Sun Yingsha loses for just the second time this year, while Zhu Yuling brushes aside world No 2 Wang Manyu