Chinese statement on Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin withdrawals leaves fans confused
Calls for greater focus on player workload after statement omits mention of schedule at WTT Finals in Hong Kong
China’s table tennis chiefs’ statement about the withdrawals of world No 1s Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin during the WTT Finals in Hong Kong left fans with as many questions as answers on Monday.
Sun retired during her women’s singles semi-final on Saturday, having appeared to suffer an ankle injury, before returning to action alongside Wang Chuqin in the mixed doubles final, which the Chinese pair lost.
The following day, Wang withdrew before his men’s singles semi-final against Truls Moregard. He was said to have woken up with a bad back and feeling unwell.
With the biggest star ruled out, there were swathes of empty seats for Sunday evening’s final, won by Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.
On Monday, amid widespread discussion of the withdrawals on social media, the statement by the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) said the two players “both experienced physical discomfort during their matches” and were withdrawn “to safeguard their health”.